Quest (32 page)

'Stand very stil , then. My men are somewhat nervous. And just to make sure that you do as you're told, I have a few more persuaders at the ready.' The doors of the room opened to show another group of bowmen, arrows already nocked and aimed at them.

'And there are even more men behind them,' warned Benner. 'I've learnt a lot from you bitches. Not least to look for secret passages in my castle walls. Your day is passing, Elder Sister, passing very rapidly. Temple Tenebrak will be in my hands before nightfall. Sen-Sether forced one of your precious Sisters to make sacrifice to our God. I'll have every last one of you splayed on the altar of our shrines - dead or alive!'

Herra betrayed no emotion, but Davred's shudder wasn’t feigned. After casting a frightened look at Herra, he allowed his shoulders to droop and panic to show in his face. This set Benner chuckling again.

'Fine brave fellow, this Godlet of yours!' he mocked. 'See how he trembles! However, I'm sure I shall find some use for him. Later on, he can show me the purpose of that box. The messenger knew nothing at all about it, only that it was precious in some way.'

Davred looked at the cube. If the worst came to the worst, he would activate the stasis and deprive Those of the Serpent of their leader in Tenebrak. But only as a final resort, because he would be trapped by the field of stasis, too. In the meantime, he could tell by the rhythms of her breathing that Herra was gathering her inner forces.

'Where are the children?' snapped Benner suddenly.

QUEST Shannah Jay 117

'Which children?' Herra's voice was cool and polite.

'Don't play dumb with me, you old whore! You know which children I mean. The ones you stole from their fathers five years ago. Sen-Sether would pay well for that knowledge. Or even do my bidding if I had a hostage.'

'I know nothing about any children.'

'Right arm.'

An arrow thumped into Davred's arm with a suddenness that took both him and Herra by surprise. He gave an involuntary cry of pain as the blood began to trickle down his arm and his nerves screamed out at the wound, then he blocked the pain and focused his attention on what was happening, although he pretended to rock about in agony.

'Nice shot! Reward that man, captain, when this is over. Well, witch, shall I try his other arm next, or are you persuaded that I mean what I say?'

'No more!' begged Herra, her voice cracking in precisely the way a distressed old woman's would - but which hers never did. 'I can find out where the children are, but I don't know now. It was thought safer that no one in the temple know.'

There was a moment's silence. Davred first swayed, then staggered forward, as if dizzy. Before anyone could stop him, he'd snatched up the cube. 'If anyone shoots me, my fingers will set this off!' he yelled.

'Wait!' Benner commanded. 'Don't shoot yet, anyway. They can't escape, after all. Let our young friend tell us what it does.'

Davred tried to keep his voice as calm as Herra's had been. 'This is a stasis cube. Ask Sen-Sether why he can't enter Temple Setherak, Benner. He has told you that it's closed off behind invisible walls, surely?'

'I've heard something of the sort. But you don't expect me to believe it's done with such a little thing as that box, surely? Do you take me for a fool? And if either of you try to leave that room, I'll not hesitate to risk whatever your box can do. My God will protect me.'

Ignoring the pain in his right arm, Davred let his fingers slide slowly over the surface of the box, setting it for one of its minor functions. 'As will mine,' he said quietly.

'If
you
are the best Manifestation your God can send, he's a poor sort of deity. My God is young yet. His strength will grow. And his powers. Especial y when we unlock those bitches' secrets. You'd do better to join us, lad.'

'I - couldn't.' Davred let the slightest amount of hesitation creep into his voice. His fingers moved again.

The voice became warm and soothing. 'Why don't you give me a chance to show you our ways? It pains me to see a fine young fellow like yourself doing the bidding of these women. With us, it's the other way round. The women do as we command. Think of the pleasures to be had in our shrines.'

'They - the Sisters have been good to me.' Davred coded in some more instructions. Almost. Just another few digits to go. Keep him talking.

'Surely you don't call that being good to you? What fun is there for a young man like you in praying and studying?

Why don't you at least give our ways a try?'

'He's fiddling with that thing, Lord Benner!' called one of the bowmen suddenly.

'Shoot his other arm!'

But Davred had pressed the final sequence, setting the cube in a stunner mode. Before the arrow could be launched, he was aiming the box in a circle around him. One man got as far as drawing his bowstring back before the narrow beam of stasis-stun could reach his side of the room, but Herra
stilled
him. Then the stasis swept over the man and he froze where he stood.

A roar of rage came from above. 'Call the reinforcements!'

Davred stepped backwards and whispered, 'Can you lead us safely out of here, Herra? This will only hold them for a few minutes.'

QUEST Shannah Jay 118

She nodded and led the way back into the tunnel, but this time she ran in a different direction. 'They'll expect us to leave by what they think is the tunnel entrance,' she panted. 'So instead, we'll go up through the cellars and leave openly, by the gate. Stop for a moment.' She laid her hand on his arm and broke off the arrow, leaving the head embedded.

The pain lessened at her touch and Davred sighed with relief.

'It's the best I can do until we get back. Can you manage like that, Lord Davred? ''Yes.' He avoided looking at the wound. He’d never been injured before, and the sight of his own mangled flesh and the dark trickle of blood sickened him. He concentrated instead on following Herra as quickly and quietly as he could.

From the cellars they made their way rapidly up into the kitchens. In their ragged clothing, they looked little different from the other scullions. Twice someone shouted orders at them, but Herra pretended an urgent message for the gatekeeper. At the gate itself, she showed the sergeant illusory orders to bear a message into town to one of the smaller neighbourhood shrines, then stood waiting humbly for permission to leave the castle. The sergeant nodded at her and Davred. 'Off with this message quickly, then!'

Davred saluted smartly. 'Yes, sir!'

'And don't you be lingering to make sacrifice, lad! Unless they're desperate for a bit of help!' He nudged Davred in the wounded arm without seeming to notice the blood and the arrowhead, and then chuckled nastily. 'Just wait till I get off duty! I'll play my part right willingly. Haven't had a woman for days. Been saving my strength. Best Festival of the year, this is.'

Davred fought to stay upright as the waves of pain from the nudge washed over him, but the man was too immersed in his own sick fantasies to notice that anything was wrong with the messenger. There was incense burning, even here in the gatehouse.

Once out of sight of the guardhouse, Herra sagged against the wal , her face shrunken with fatigue. 'I'll only slow you down, Davred. Leave me here and get back to the temple!'

Davred shook his head. 'I can't move quickly either, Herra. Besides, you're still needed. We'll help each other. What's the best route back?'

She tried to turn a Compulsion on him.

'Don't waste your time on that, Herra. You yourself taught me how to elude a Compulsion. And I won't go without you, so save what little energy you have left for our walk across the city.'

She looked fiercely at his face, saw how determined he was, and sighed in exasperation. 'Very wel , but if we're stopped, promise you'll leave me and escape.'

'If I must, I’ll do that. I know that our Quest is more important than either of us. But I see no need at this time.

Now, lean on me. Same story. You were wounded in the siege. Which way do we go?'

Staggering, breath rasping in her throat, Herra clung to his arm and gasped out instructions. There was no need for her to feign weakness. Anyone could see how exhausted she was.

It was late afternoon now, and there was a promise of rain in the smoky air. They kept to the shadows as much as possible and let drunken groups pass them.

At one point, in the full light of a burning house, they came face to face with one of the former temple servants.

Davred braced himself to deal with the man.

The servant stepped back. 'God save you, Sister! I see you not. The Tanners' Alley is nearly deserted.' Then he ran off in the other direction.

'May our Brother protect him,' whispered Herra, and changed direction.

In the Tanners' Alley she directed Davred to turn into a house, a sacked half-ruin like all the rest. There she stopped, checked that no one was inside, and led Davred through a hidden doorway at the back of a cupboard into a very narrow, low-roofed tunnel. Twice she stopped to remove and reset wards. Twice they stood still for no reason that Davred could see. Finally she led him through another doorway into the Archive Cellars, and when he turned around to
QUEST Shannah Jay 119

look for the entrance to the tunnel, he saw only a wal of books, which felt solid to his touch.

'I am becoming - too old - for adventures.' Herra collapsed at his feet.

He couldn't lift her with his injured arm, so he ran to find Lara. Within minutes Herra was being tended, but Davred refused to let the exhausted Healer do more than wash his arm. 'We must leave as soon as possible,' he told Lara,

'before Benner can get a new assault launched against the temple. Herra must come with us, even if she has to be carried. My arm can wait. I have to find Katia. Tell Fiana to get our things.'

He found Katia in the temple compound, directing the defenders to douse a blazing storehouse.

'You're hurt!' She turned pale. 'I thought I felt something a while back, but with so much pain around, I wasn't sure if it was really you.'

'The arm's nothing. The main thing is, we managed to get the cube back.'

'But your . . . '

'There's no time now, my Katia. We must leave at once, and activate the stasis before they get in.'

She turned to a smoke-blackened man, hardly recognisable as the gatekeeper. 'Will you take my place now, Shel?

May our Brother watch over you!'

'And over you, Sister.'

From outside came shouts and a constant noise of people milling around. Occasional missiles flew over the walls and crashed to the ground. The savagery of the attackers' feelings was clear, even when the words were not. From time to time a voice was loud enough for the defenders to make out the threats that were being offered against those who supported the Sisterhood, as well as the vile suggestions about what would happen to the Sisters themselves.

'They are unclean,' said Shel sombrely. 'It's as if a madness infects Those of the Serpent. I shal be glad to wait here in safety until gentler times.' He looked at Davred. 'How long before the cube
stills
us, Lord?'

'A few minutes only.'

'The God be thanked! They're using battering rams on the gates, and we can't keep them out for much longer. Will it - will the stasis hurt, Lord? I worry not for myself, but I have three young daughters with me here.'

'You'll feel nothing. I've been in stasis myself - it's sometimes used by my people for travelling long distances. One feels nothing at all. It merely seems as though time passes instantly.'

As they re-entered the great hall, Fiana came over to join them. 'We're ready. I've taken our things down to the cellars.'

'Thank you.'

Davred turned to Cheral. 'The God be with you all! Good luck, Cheral!'

'Don't think you're leaving me behind!' she snapped. 'Look what happens to the Elder Sister when she's left in your care! Besides, you'll need another person to help carry Herra.'

'But . . . ' Davred looked helplessly at Katia. A spark of amusement flared briefly in her eyes and she shrugged. No one could stop Cheral when she was in that sort of a mood.

'Well, what are you waiting for, Lord?' demanded Cheral. 'Get that nasty box thing set up and join us in the food cellars. Can you manage with only one arm? Or do you need someone to help you?'

'I can manage, thank you, Cheral.' He placed the cube at the foot of the statue and began to program it.

'Katia and Fiana, come with me!' Cheral's voice had a peculiarly carrying quality and every syllable floated back up the stairs to Davred. 'Hurry up, Lord! How long do you think they can hold those gates? We haven't got all night to do this, you know!'

#####

QUEST Shannah Jay 120

Katia led the way down the underground passage, holding a lamp above her head to guide the others. In its flickering light, her shadow seemed to weave along the wal beside her like a living thing. But it was a shadow she didn’t recognise. Gone was the soft flowing robe and the tumbling mass of curly hair. Instead, her hair was twisted into a tight knot at the nape of the neck and then covered in a thick net snood. Gone, too, was the graceful gait, because she was hampered by clothing suitable for a wealthy merchant's wife. The full-skirted, tight-waisted gown was of stiff dark brown material and it had a high neckline and long tight sleeves, quite unsuitable for Tenebron's warm climate.

She sighed and hefted the heavy bundle she carried into a less uncomfortable position. It contained Davred's clothes and a few personal items, and it was the reason why she was wearing her own disguise, which was easier to carry on her back. She turned her head to smile encouragingly at her husband, who was plodding grimly along behind her. She could see he was in pain, but they didn’t dare stop to heal him until they’d left the zone where stasis would fal .

Since Herra was incapacitated, Katia decided that once it was safe to stop, she herself would have to try to help Davred. Her healing skills were still very limited, and she might not be able to heal his arm properly, but she was sure she could speed the healing of the flesh and reduce the pain emanating from him. Even if she only managed to get the arrowhead out, that would help.