Descent

  Jack nodded. ‘Can you teach me then?’

  Harry shook his head. ‘I’m not fit to teach anyone.’

  ‘Harry! I saw what you did on the ship! You were awesome!’

  ‘That was nothing. There are men who could have done that in their sleep. If you truly wish to learn, when we get back to Burmia I’ll ask Altor to give you some lessons.’

  ‘Altor? Why him? Isn’t he way younger than us?’

  Harry folded his big arms and looked at Jack. ‘There are two men that I have seen in all the world, who are truly masters of combat. The first was Prince Fern.’

  ‘The freak we met the other day?’

  ‘He’s not a freak,’ Harry said firmly.

  ‘He didn’t say a word to any of us, and then he ran off as if his bum was on fire.’

  ‘He’s been dead for two years,’ Harry snapped. ‘You’d probably be a bit strange too. Anyway, he’s half Elf, and good enough to battle the war god. People cried when they saw him fight. They say he was so good with a sword that he could kill someone thrice before they even felt the blow.’

  Jack’s eyes widened.

  ‘The second is the Black Prince. Altor is young. He doesn’t have the same kind of flashy brilliance as Fern, but I’ve seen him with a weapon when he thinks no one is watching. It takes my breath away, every time.’

  ‘All right,’ Jack breathed. ‘I’m convinced. I definitely want him to teach me.’

  ‘Don’t get your hopes up, man. He doesn’t even acknowledge his own skill, let alone use it to help others, but we’ll see.’

  They lapsed into silence and Harry went back to working on his arrows. Jack watched him for a while. In high school, Harry had been tall, but a little overweight. Now, he was huge, all solid muscle. His growth spurt over the last two years had been amazing.

  ‘You been working out, man?’ Jack teased. Harry flexed his muscles and then laughed, launching himself across the room to take Jack in a vice-like headlock. The two wrestled for a while, crashing into tables and walls.

  ‘All right, all right,’ Jack panted. ‘I give up!’

  Harry released him and ruffled his friend’s hair fondly. Jack rubbed his sore neck, unused to being dominated by the boy who had usually been the worst at sports of any kind.

  ‘At least I still have youth on my side. You’re old, man. In a couple of years when your hip breaks I’ll be able to beat you with my eyes closed.’

  Harry laughed again. ‘I’m nineteen, Jack.’

  ‘My point exactly. Old. You won’t even be a teenager for much longer. Plus you look stupid with that beard.’

  ‘Hey! I’ve been growing this bad boy since I got here. They’re all the fashion in Paragor.’

  ‘Everyone here looks just as stupid as you do.’

  They chatted for a while longer about nothing important, when finally Jack blurted, ‘She’s not really going through with it, is she?’

  Harry looked up. ‘I don’t think that’s the point.’

  ‘Then what is?’

  ‘I think she just wants to know that if she did, you’d be okay with it.’

  Jack frowned. ‘It’s just so weird. Tell me you don’t believe in this fate crap.’

  Harry shrugged. ‘Whether I do or not doesn’t matter. I’m not going to make her feel bad because she does. Especially when it was true for Anna and Luca.’

  ‘Don’t you think that it could just be that people see stuff in the basin and then make something happen because they want so badly to believe in a higher power?’

  ‘Maybe. But what does it matter which way it works? She wants to find this city because she feels connected to it. Who are we to stop her?’

  ‘Harry, I’m her boyfriend. I’m trying to protect her.’

  ‘Maybe she just wants your support instead.’

  ‘Oh, come on! You’re telling me I should encourage this stupid wild goose chase? How do we know she won’t just go wandering off in the desert and die of thirst or something?’

  ‘You don’t have very much faith in her do you? We all had to go through trials when we got here. They were difficult, but we’re so much better for them.’ Harry paused. ‘Do you remember what I used to be like?’

  ‘Of course I do—it was a week ago for me.’

  ‘Okay. So I pretty much thought I was incapable of doing anything. I thought no one in the world believed in me, or expected anything of me, and it made me feel like crap. All I needed was to prove that I could achieve something, that I could be a part of something. Mia needs that chance too, and telling her she can’t will only make her want to prove that she can.’

  ‘So you’re saying I should play along and then she’ll give up?’

  Harry sighed and shook his head. ‘Jack, man. That’s not what I mean at all. I’ll put it bluntly for you. Stop being a jerk or you’re going to lose her forever.’ Harry’s expression changed as he looked at his friend. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked suddenly. ‘You keep fobbing me off every time I ask, but it’s important, Jack. How are your dreams? Don’t lie.’

  Jack hesitated. ‘I’m not lying. Honestly, I’ve had no trouble at all. I’d tell you if I had.’

  ‘Really?’ Harry looked amazed. ‘That’s ... great! I mean, we need to keep a close eye on it, but it’s a very good sign that you haven’t had trouble so far. Maybe it’s because you’re a Stranger. Maybe we’re immune to the Valkyries. This is a big deal—it could be really helpful. Promise you’ll tell me the second you notice a change?’

  Jack nodded mutely. He didn’t know why he was lying, but he knew that if he opened his mouth and spoke the truth, it would make the chill inside his heart grow so cold that it might freeze him to death.

  Chapter 14

  Here it was. Tzenna’s first chance to prove herself, to make them believe that she could care about things like a normal person should.

  ‘Thor, it is out of the question!’ Tzenna snapped. The boy scowled.

  ‘I can do what I want. I’m a man.’

  She stared at him, letting what she hoped was the appropriate amount of worry mixed with anger arise in her voice. ‘You’re not a man,’ she said. ‘You are far too young to be even considering this!’

  ‘Why? Boys my age are being conscripted everywhere!’

  ‘And dying,’ she hissed. ‘If you join the defence force, you will surely die too.’

  Élan was sitting silently by the fire. Thor shook his head angrily. ‘You don’t understand—I have skills in these things.’

  ‘How could you possibly?’ Élan asked.

  ‘I’ve been training every day after tutoring.’

  Tzenna shook her head. ‘Even so—’

  Thor held up his hands. ‘Listen to me. I want to fight. And now is the time.’ Thor paused, all the youthful innocence and hope leaving his face. ‘You said that people are dying,’ he murmured, his eyes imploring them both. ‘You said children are dying. Let me help. I have to help. I cannot sit by in this time of need and watch more people die. We should all be helping. Don’t you understand?’

  Élan sat forward. ‘You are too young, Thor. Surely you see that?’

  ‘Terret was as young as I am when he became Captain.’

  ‘Yes, but Terret was ... different,’ Élan said and Thor frowned again.

  ‘What does age truly matter in a time like this? I am as competent as any man with a weapon. I’m not asking this lightly. It is the duty of the younger son.’

  Tzenna blinked at the sudden humility of the boy. He’d only just turned fourteen—the legal age to join the defence force. But everyone knew that joining was suicide. The Valkyries slaughtered scores of boys like him every night. Another of the king’s wonderful strategies.

  But looking at the boy, she realised that he was trying to fight for the same thing she was.

  ‘You truly believe that this is the right thing for you?’ she asked softly, no pretence in her now.

  Thor nodded without hesitation.

  ‘Then what choice do
we have?’ she asked her fiancé. Élan spread his hands helplessly.

  Thor grinned. ‘Thank you,’ he exclaimed and then dashed from the house, probably to tell his friends that he’d won over his stony future sister-in-law.

  Tzenna looked into the fire. Her life had become a series of trivial activities. She was the fiancé of a training scholar, and she hated the dullness. She didn’t know how to progress.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Élan asked.

  Tzenna considered the best response. It would make things a little easier for her if she didn’t have to worry about a young brother-in-law for a while. Maybe some service would do him good.

  ‘It is what younger sons do,’ she said reasonably.

  Élan looked at her for a long moment, and she wondered if she’d sounded callous. Eventually he nodded. ‘I must get back to the palace. You are all right?’ he asked quietly, always attentive.

  For the first time, Tzenna wondered if she should just put away the revenge notion. But the thought was gone as soon as it entered her head.

  Life had to lead to something. Revenge was what she had shaped her being around, and to lose it now would be to lose herself.

  ‘So that was Luca. A Bright One.’ Adon said quietly as he sat down beside Ria on her couch.

  Ria nodded, silently. She didn’t know what to think.

  ‘What was wrong with him?’ Adon asked. ‘He looked—’

  ‘Scary.’ Ria shivered. ‘I know. I don’t understand.’

  Ria’s heart thumped when she thought of why he might be here. He’d said it was work, but did she believe that? He couldn’t possibly be here for her—could he? She didn’t want things to go back to the way they were. It was too long ago, and the memories of that time were too painful. But thinking of Luca, of what they’d once shared, she felt ... sad and awkward.

  ‘What are you thinking?’ Adon asked.

  Ria smiled. ‘Just ... that I’m going to miss you.’

  ‘I can come back you know. You’re only a day’s ride away.’ He grinned and his teeth glowed in the dim light. When she didn’t reply, his smile faded. ‘You’re still thinking about him, aren’t you?’

  Slowly, she nodded.

  ‘Do you love him?’

  Ria sighed glumly. ‘I used to.’

  ‘And now?’ he pressed.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  He turned away from her.

  ‘Adon, I’m sorry. I’m not sure what you want from me.’ After a moment she sighed and murmured softly, ‘Bayard.’

  He looked at her. ‘You called me Bayard.’

  Ria shrugged. ‘Don’t let it go to your head. It won’t happen again.’

  Adon sat back against the couch. ‘I’m leaving tomorrow. And I know we aren’t very far away, but there are strange things going on at the moment, and I think that the next few months are going to be important.’

  ‘Important for what?’

  ‘I’m not sure. But it means I might not be able to see you for a while.’

  She thought about that. ‘I think I’m actually going to miss you,’ she said.

  He laughed a little. ‘Don’t sound so surprised.’

  ‘Sorry, Bayard,’ she said, making him smile again.

  One week after his arrival in Burmia, Accolon, looking deathly tired, attended a meeting with Satine. She watched for the signs that everyone now knew to look for. It was easy enough to tell if someone was being attacked in their dreams. The High King’s eyes, she was horrified to notice, were bloodshot and darting.

  ‘I want someone placed in his chamber tonight, without his knowledge,’ she told her head servant. ‘I want a report in the morning of how he slept.’

  So, unbeknownst to him, Accolon did not sleep alone that night. He tossed and turned, wracked by nightmares. The servant could see the signs clearly. What he could not see, what he couldn’t possibly hear, were the words being whispered into the king’s ears, over and over again.

  Chapter 15

  Mia knocked on the door and waited to be admitted. Elixia was sitting behind a large desk, peering at some papers spread before her. She looked up and smiled widely.

  ‘Hello.’

  ‘Hi, your majesty.’

  Elixia laughed. ‘Please—call me Elixia. This is a nice surprise. What brings you here?’

  Mia fidgeted uncomfortably and took the seat that was offered.

  ‘Well, I have a question.’ Mia felt suddenly awkward and embarrassed. What business did she have speaking to the High Queen? It was strange that Elixia was so young—they were practically the same age.

  Elixia piled her papers together, giving Mia her full attention. ‘Of course. Go on.’

  ‘I’m sorry to bother you. I just couldn’t think of who else to ask. It has to do with the basin of destiny.’

  Elixia’s eyes narrowed.

  ‘I saw ... I saw something, and I was wondering if you could help me find it.’

  ‘If it is within my power to do so, I will,’ Elixia said. ‘But you need to think about whether or not this is something you want to seek out. Sometimes the things we see in the basin find us.’

  ‘I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s in my dreams, every single night. I’m going crazy not knowing.’ Mia took a breath. ‘A huge city, in the middle of the desert, with a wall wrapped around it...’ she trailed off as she noticed the expression on the queen’s face.

  ‘Gods,’ Elixia whispered. ‘Truly, you saw this?’

  Mia nodded mutely.

  The queen stared at her. ‘Well then, I had better start at the beginning, hadn’t I?’

  Mia’s heart leapt in excitement.

  ‘Understand, I don’t know much—only a whisper—and I am one of the very few people who have even heard about this, and only because my father had an uncommon love of forgotten history. Many years ago when ... dark things happened ... there was a great and powerful city in the desert that was banished from all mortal time. It was called Samaraq.’

  ‘Samaraq,’ Mia whispered, shivering.

  ‘It was a city of evil. A city of sins.’

  ‘ Sins?’ she repeated slowly.

  Elixia shook her head. ‘All I know is that my father was intensely uneasy speaking about their practices. He said that ladies should not be thinking about such unseemly things, so he didn’t tell me the details.’

  Mia frowned. ‘What do you mean, “banished”?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Somehow, the city ceased to exist within Paragor’s realms of the living. I don’t think anyone knows how. It was just ... gone. Erased from all records and histories. Few people have even heard of it.’

  ‘Where was Samaraq?’

  ‘Tirana, in the desert,’ Elixia replied. She looked at Mia more closely. ‘What could it mean, seeing that in the basin?’

  Mia shifted uncomfortably. ‘I wish I knew.’

  ‘My father would pity you, to have a destiny which is mixed up in that place. He would say you cannot have a happy ending.’

  ‘Oh, please, no optimism,’ Mia said dryly.

  Elixia grinned. ‘Sorry. I do not agree. There is too much unknown about that place.’

  ‘But how can I find out?’

  Elixia shook her head. ‘It’s long gone, Mia. And like I said, there are no records.’

  ‘I have to find it. Isn’t there anyone who can tell me more?’

  ‘If you truly wish for answers, then the only place I can think of is Tirana. It’s not likely, but you could try. Perhaps Emperor Liam will be able to help you. I’ll warn you again though—you won’t find the city. It doesn’t exist anymore.’

  Mia clasped her hands together tightly. The decision was already made. If she was here in Paragor for any reason, then this must be it. ‘Would it be possible for me to leave for Tirana tomorrow?’ she asked.

  Elixia nodded slowly. ‘If you truly wish it, I can arrange that. But Mia, understand this—we can change our destinies; we can make them our own. The city was banished for a reason. Do not
let the basin ensnare you like it has done so many.’

  ‘I’m not going to let you do this!’ Jack yelled. Mia stared resolutely at the door, her packed case in her hands.

  ‘Get out of the way, Jack.’

  ‘No!’ He turned desperately to Anna and Harry. ‘You aren’t going to let her do this, are you?’ he asked, his eyes bloodshot. Horrified, Harry suddenly realised that Jack had been lying about his dreams.

  ‘It’s not up to us, darling,’ Anna said gently, looking upset.

  ‘I need to do this,’ Mia said softly.

  Jack shook his head, unable to believe what was happening. She’d had a hallucination, and she was going to follow it to the most dangerous country in Paragor. Jack had done his homework—he’d found out about Tirana. It was utterly unforgiving, not only in its desert land, but in its treatment of women. Why did she want to go to a place where she would be treated without any respect?

  ‘If you do this, Mia,’ he said suddenly, ‘I don’t know who you are anymore.’

  She stared at him, her eyes changing. He saw something in her he’d never seen before—it was the same thing he saw in Anna and Harry now.

  ‘If that’s truly what you think, Jack, then what are we doing? Why are we even bothering?’ Mia’s shoulders sank. She shook her head tiredly. ‘This is over, Jack.’

  ‘ What?’

  ‘You act like a child. You don’t take anything seriously. You don’t believe in me, and you don’t believe in yourself. Don’t you see that this is our chance to make something of ourselves? All you see is a chance for mischief and practical jokes—you’ve got no purpose.’

  Anna and Harry looked as though they were trying to disappear into the walls.

  Jack shook his head. ‘You don’t mean that.’

  ‘See?’ Mia snapped. ‘You still aren’t taking this seriously! We’re over. I don’t want a boy. I want a man. Goodbye, Jack.’

  He looked at her and, like a punch in the stomach, it came to him that this was the time. The time when he needed to do something, say something to save them. He had to show her that he could be the man she needed. But he didn’t seem to be able to remember any words. All he could do was watch her walk sadly from the room.