City of Keys, page 26
Kasia strode up to him. “Goodbye,” she said.
Red ley coiled around his legs, binding him to the bench. “We have been down this path before. Many times. You cannot banish me.” A smug smile. “I am the master and you are the pupil. Not even that. A mere fledgling—”
“No,” she said icily. “I am the High Priestess!”
She seized his cloak. Balaur’s eyes widened, the smile faltering, as she lifted him up and tossed him into the pond. The body had no substance. It vanished before it hit the water.
“I will not forget this time,” Kasia vowed, fists clenching at her sides. “I will remember you. And I will remember how to make you go away!”
But the encounter was already slipping from her mind like grains of sand through splayed fingers.
Kasia growled in frustration. He had said things, shown her things, that were important. She gripped her skull as if she could somehow hold the knowledge inside by sheer force of will.
“No! I must remember! I must remember! I must—”
Kasia sat with a gasp.
Sweat slicked her brow. The sheets lay on the floor. She must have kicked them off.
How long had she slept?
Thirst burned her throat. She staggered to the tiny bathroom and drank straight from the faucet. Then she tried the door from her chamber.
Still locked.
Kasia pressed her ear to the heavy oak.
Silence.
Gray had promised to send a char with food. But surely they would have come by now?
Her scalp prickled with sudden anxiety. What if everyone was already dead? What if the Order had overrun the Arx while she dozed and—
Stop it, she scolded herself. Don’t think that way. There are hundreds of knights in the citadel. Thousands!
Yet she couldn’t just sit there waiting for help to arrive.
There was a way out.
She would try it again.
Kasia went back to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. Then she dug out Tess’s lipstick and painted her mouth, regarding her reflection in the mirror above the sink. She looked ghoulish with her tangle of black hair and dark-circled eyes.
“I am a ghoul,” she whispered, baring her teeth. “A wraith.”
Did Tess tell herself the same thing when she worked with the underground resistance in Bal Agnar? She must have seen horrors. Must have known they could come for her at any time of the day or night. The strength it would take not to run . . . . But Tessaria’s faith kept her going.
Hypocrites. All of them.
Kasia frowned. The thought had come unbidden. It felt strange. Not her own.
She twisted the lipstick shut and tucked it in her pocket.
What would Tess do?
The answer was simple.
She would go back to the Lethe Club and finish that bastard.
Chapter Twenty-Four
With so much going on, Alexei expected Cardinal Gray to be with one of the delegations. But he wasn’t with Clavis, nor was he in his office. Alexei fetched Alice from the kennels and they prowled through the grounds together. It took nearly two hours of searching, but Alexei finally found him in the basilica, kneeling before the altar. He waited for a moment, then sank down to join Gray in meditation, head bowed. He tried to still his mind, silently reciting the first sutra of the Meliora.
Nonviolence is one of the most consistent and reasonable doctrines ever taught to humanity. She who aggressively injures another fosters hatred, the root of all evil . . . .
“Fra Bryce,” Gray whispered. “Er, I mean Nuncio. Do you need something?”
Alexei turned to find Clavis’s aide staring at him.
“Yes. Where’s Kasia?”
Gray looked awkward. “We thought it best if your friends stayed out of sight.”
“Because of Karolo.” The realization came as a relief. He’d been worried when he saw no sign of any of them, but at least it wasn’t because they were avoiding him.
“Yes,” Gray said. “Happily, the talks were brief. I don’t expect the delegation from Novostopol to remain for much longer now.”
Wings fluttered overhead in the dim recesses of the vaulted ceiling.
“So where is she?”
Gray glanced around. A few other people knelt on the low benches, but none close by. “I suppose it’s all right if you pay a visit now. The treaty has been signed.” He pushed to his feet, wincing as his knees popped. “There are a million things to attend to. But it seemed right to take a moment in contemplation. Remind myself that there is always hope for a better future.”
“I wasn’t sure Luk would come on board,” Alexei said.
“None of us were.” He laughed. “But I think his instincts for self-preservation finally kicked in.”
“And the Reverend Mother—”
“Has never lost a skirmish,” Gray said. “She will return to us triumphant.”
“Of course,” Alexei said, though it did seem like a mighty coincidence.
If Clavis had a flaw, it was hubris—and a love of battle.
Yet all thoughts of strategy faded from his mind as they walked to the Villa of Saint Margrit. It was on the far side of the Arx, well away from the Pontifex’s Palace. Alice had waited outside the basilica. Now she trotted at his heels, nearly invisible in the darkness. The hour was late, but Alexei couldn’t wait until morning to see Kasia. His heart beat faster as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. If she was still angry, he would beg her forgiveness. Whatever it took—
“That’s odd,” Gray said, pausing in front of a door at the end of the hall.
Alexei realized that a bolt had been locked from the outside. It looked newly installed. His pulse turned instantly to a triphammer. He drew it and threw the door wide, fearing the worst.
The room was empty.
“Why the hell was she locked inside?” Alexei demanded.
“I have no idea.” Gray had gone pasty. “She didn’t object to keeping out of sight, but she wasn’t a prisoner. You must believe me!”
Alexei moved into the room. Books on alchemy were piled everywhere, but there was no sign of her cards. He could still smell a trace of perfume in the air.
“She would have fought back,” he muttered.
Alice sniffed around, but she didn’t react as she would have if an alchemist had been inside. It was puzzling.
“It’s my fault. She warned me,” Gray said anxiously. “She kept insisting the Order was here, but I doubted her—”
Alice gave a sudden bark. She was staring at a blank section of wall. Alexei hurried over and examined it more closely.
“What is it, little sister?” he asked.
Alice barked again, standing on her hind legs to press her paws against the stone.
“Oh dear,” Gray muttered.
Alexei rounded on him. “What?”
The cardinal took his glasses off, cleaning them nervously on his sleeve. “The Arx has liminal passages. I don’t know them myself. They have fallen into disuse. But—” His eyes widened as Alexei gripped the front of his robes.
“Are you telling me you put her in a chamber with such a passage?” He could feel his Marks flaring, the rush of soothing blue ley, but it wasn’t enough to quench his fury. “What were you thinking?”
“I didn’t know it had one!” Gray squeaked. “They honeycomb the walls! She specifically requested this room for the lack of windows! I thought it was safe—”
“Saints.” Alexei released him. “How do I open it?”
Gray backed up. “You must let me fetch some knights—”
“How,” Alexei repeated firmly, “do I open it?”
“With liminal ley. That is all I know.”
Alexei held out a hand. “Give me your blade.”
Like all the clergy at Nantwich, Gray wore a sword across his back. He drew it from the sheath, handing it over hilt first.
“Thank you.”
Alexei tore a glove off with his teeth and pressed his hand to the wall, delving through the surface to the thin layer of violet where blue mixed with red. A rectangle shimmered into view, dull and covered with a silvery mist. Alice gave a low growl.
“Where does it go?”
“Nowhere.” Gray retreated another step at Alexei’s expression. “It is a liminal space, Fra Bryce. A between-world.” He scowled. “Kasia was explicitly ordered not to touch the ley by the Reverend Mother herself. It was a condition of her staying here. Clavis will not be pleased that she has violated her promise.”
“What choice did she have? Someone locked her in!”
Gray’s expression softened. “I am asking you to wait, Fra Bryce. This is rash—”
The rest of his words were lost as Alexei stepped through the doorway. With a growl, Alice dove through after him. He released the ley. The door closed behind him.
He stood in a blank white tunnel that extended in either direction.
“Which way, little sister?” he whispered.
After a moment’s hesitation, she darted off. He laid Gray’s sword flat across his palm, finding the balance. It was heavier at the hilt than he was used to, meaning it would slash quickly but with less power at the tip. He adjusted his grip a centimeter down the blade and followed the Markhound.
Stone walls gradually gave way to a bland pastel corridor that reminded him of the Batavia Institute. Then a cavernous white space with nothing but the wooden dock where a defendant sat to await their fate at trial. It was spotlight from above by some unseen light source.
“This place is seriously weird,” he whispered to Alice.
She chuffed in agreement and trotted to the far side of the white chamber, where a white door sat flush with the wall. A tiny plaque said Break Room/Staff Only. He pushed the door and walked into a multi-level parking garage with slanted orange lines painted on the concrete and not a single car. His nerves sang as he followed her down through the sloping garage. Pillars stood at intervals, casting deep shadows. His footsteps echoed in the dark.
The endless stream of thoughts ceased. He was aware of every tiny sound. Aware of his surroundings only to the extent of watching for movement. The soldier who fought seven tours in the Void took over, for which Alexei was grateful. It spared him the agony of worrying about what might have happened to Kasia.
Down and down they went. Then, another stone corridor. Alice ran ahead. He found her sitting in front of a symbol he recognized.
Circle, square, triangle, circle. Crudely etched into the wall.
Adrenaline surged. Alexei opened a liminal doorway into a richly furnished antechamber. He crept on the balls of his feet down a diim hallway.
A card lay on the ground.
He picked it up.
The Jack of Wolves.
Hope and fear warred in his heart. Kasia was here. Most likely, the Order had her.
Alice ranged ahead, a silent wraith. He crossed an empty ballroom. Strobes flashed overhead, illuminating the hound’s progress in jerky leaps.
Darkness and light, darkness and light.
Beyond, another hallway.
And beyond that, another room, this one with a long mirrored bar and red banquettes.
A woman was sitting at the bar, her back to the door. She wore a dress with black lace sleeves. Some instinct made her spin around, a card ready in her hand. Her eyes widened.
“Alexei?”
He ran forward, hardly daring to believe it. The sword clattered on the bar as he pulled her into an embrace, burying his face in her hair. Strong arms hugged him back. Finally, he pulled away and searched her face.
“I’ve dreamt of this moment often,” he admitted. “But not like this. I thought they had you!”
“How on earth did you find me?”
He looked at Alice, who gave a happy bark. “She followed your scent.”
He told Kasia about going to her room with Cardinal Gray and finding it bolted from the outside. “Do you know who did it?”
“No.” Kasia frowned. “But the Order was here. I saw Jule Danziger. He’s alive—or close enough it makes no difference.”
“The nephew?”
She nodded. “Say you believe me. Please, I know what I saw—”
“Of course I believe you. Those children were dead, too. Now they’re not.” He glanced around. “What is this place?”
“It’s called the Lethe Club. I stumbled over it by accident. When I came before, it was packed with people. Members of the Order, I’m sure of that.” Frustration tightened her face. “But now they’re gone.”
“They let you go?”
“Not exactly. Jule would have stopped me. But I used the ley and he ran.”
Kasia explained how she had returned to her room, found it locked, and searched for another way out.
“It’s some kind of secret city within the city,” she said. “A liminal space. It goes on and on. I have no idea how big it is.”
“Gray knew. Why didn’t Clavis tell you about it?”
“I’m nihilim. She doesn’t trust me.”
“That’s ridiculous. And you’re not!”
“Thank you. I agree. So do Natalya and Patryk. Have you seen them yet?”
“No, I just arrived a few hours ago.” Alexei’s gaze swept the thick shadows. “Are you sure none of the alchemists are here?”
“I’ve been sitting at the bar for an hour, hoping to lure them out.” She shrugged. “No one’s taken the bait. But there’s more.”
She tapped the bar. Four cards were laid out.
“The Hierophant,” he said, squinting to read their titles in the dim light. “The Fool. The Tower of Destruction. The Star.” He looked up at Kasia. “What do they mean?”
“The first two are Falke and Malach.”
“I thought Falke was dead,” Alexei said slowly.
“Well, he’s not. I can say that with certainty. Cards are always inverted when they refer to someone who’s dead.”
“What about The Star?”
She shook her head. “Someone connected to the meteors. Another mage for certain. They’re dangerous, obviously, yet I’m not sure they are evil. The Star is a symbol of hope.” She swept the cards up. “I keep picking this same spread, over and over. It means something, Alexei.” She reached for his hand. “Did you find your brother?”
“He’s here with the delegation from Jalghuth. Lezarius named him captain of his guards.”
Her face broke into a surprised smile. “So he is well? I’m so glad for you both!”
When Alexei didn’t smile back, her grin faltered.
“What is it?”
“The Nightmark is no longer inverted. He seems his old self. Lezarius trusts him. But I see the signs, Kasia. The same as last time. He’s slipping away.”
Her face fell. “I’m so sorry.”
“I thought maybe you could help him. Like you did with Spassov.”
She nodded. “Of course I’ll try. But I can’t promise anything. It was different with Patryk. The dark ley was an alien thing inside him. This is a Mark. They’re supposed to be indelible. Part of the psyche.”
“I understand. But it can’t hurt.”
“Does he know what you intend?”
“Not yet,” Alexei admitted.
She blew out a breath. “He’ll need to be willing.”
“I think he might be.”
“And the children? Are they here, too?”
“They won’t leave Jalghuth. But Misha brought them where they belong. They helped to defeat Balaur.”
He quickly told her how the children had purified the ley. How Lezarius nearly died breaking the Void, but was returned to sanity. The discovery of Sinjali Lance’s true purpose—to divide the ley into three currents that could be used by Marks, with the calming blue on the surface. Alexei had grown accustomed to this revelation, but he remembered his own amazement when he first learned that the division of the ley was not natural.
“So what is the ley in its pure form?” she wondered.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But it must come from somewhere—”
A flicker of light at the corner of his eye was the only warning. A square of fiery abyssal ley opened in the floor like a portal to purgatory.
A leather-skinned creature leapt from the gap. Alexei’s hacked at a sinewy arm. As he’d feared, the hilt-heavy sword failed to sever the limb, catching on the bone. He yanked it free, spinning away from outstretched talons as more swarmed through the gap.
Ley flashed in Kasia’s hand. A jet of flames engulfed one of the alchemists. It rolled on the floor, howling. Alexei drove the sword into his attacker’s midsection and kicked the thing free.
He heard Alice barking savagely. The next moments were a chaos of snapping jaws and inhuman shrieks. Gray’s sword was lightning in his hands, blurring in short, vicious stabs. He feared the creatures would use the death ley, but perhaps they weren’t strong enough.
At last, five alchemists lay dead or dying on the ground.
The doorway faded. Alice stood over it, snapping, until Alexei laid a hand on her flank. “Easy, little sister.”
Kasia stared at the bodies. Her eyes were dark wells. “They come back,” she whispered. “Stand aside.”
Alexei grabbed Alice by the scruff and pulled her out of the way. Kasia drew a card from the suit of Flames, scouring the alchemical corpses until only stains of greasy ash remained.
“Gray promised to send knights after me,” Alexei said. “They must be looking for us.”
She stared at the spot where the liminal doorway had opened. “I want to know where that goes.”
She had the trail now. He knew she wouldn’t stop until she found the man who had killed Tessaria Foy.
“All right.” Alexei hefted the sword. “Let’s open it again.”
They descended a tight spiral staircase that ended at a stone wall. Kasia used liminal ley to open another doorway. It led to a wide corridor with statues in niches. As they walked, she told him about the strange things she had seen. The classroom with its stopped clock, the hospital waiting room. He told her about the courtroom dock and the parking garage. They decided that some parts of the liminal city were ephemeral, fading in and out, while the stone corridors were the scaffolding holding it all together.
