Shield and Crocus (33 page)

The sewer passageway was coated in blood, but Aegis saw the world only in shades of red through his goggles. Blood seeped down his side from the stab wound to the gut, but he wasn’t alone in his pain. Aung was fighting on through a hundred cuts and stabs. Qazzi was a juggernaut, always pressing, always attacking. He turned the smallest advantage into the room needed to land another blow, even as the Shields laid into him again and again. Aegis’ friends had ignored his call to run, and he didn’t have the strength to protect them.

A kick to the sternum knocked Aegis onto his back, leaving him to stare up at a manhole. Aegis weighed the options. He considered the time of night, the neighborhood they’d emerge into, likelihood of patrols, and availability of escape paths. It was worth the risk.

Qazzi tried to pin Aegis to the ground with a blade through the gut, but Aegis rolled out of the way to catch the shot across his back.

“Up the manhole!” Aegis called as the blade tore through his raiment. He lashed out with a kick, then rolled up to a crouch, shield out to protect him once more. He pressed Qazzi, going on the offensive despite flagging strength and mounting wounds. He swung the shield in too-slow arcs, launching strike after strike.

Qazzi dodged a shield strike and countered with a lunge to Aegis’ face. Aegis swatted the blade away, trying to hold his ground. He gave an inch at a time, blood running down his raiment in growing streams. Without attention, he knew he’d go into deep shock soon.

Sabreslate called, “come on!” from the manhole opening, and Aegis hopped back, bending back in a body void to dodge a slash coming in under the shield. Instead of opening his intestines, there was a sharp pinch as his clothes tore and the blade grazed his abdomen.

Something loose passed over his back. He glanced up to see a grey rope hanging from Sabreslate’s animate cloak, the two above holding on. “Grab it!” she said, and Aegis reached up, wrapping his right hand around the rope.

They pulled and he shot upwards, clearing the manhole and spreading his feet to land on both sides of the top. Aegis stepped back and Aung slid the manhole cover back. The Freithin collapsed onto the manhole cover, his whole weight keeping it closed.

Aegis stepped back to look around in the night, seeing the street in red-scale. The streets were bare, the aristocracy tucked away inside their fenced and locked doors, three houses to a block.
No patrols in sight. Small blessings.

Aegis heard a dull pounding from below, and the manhole cover shifted.

“This won’t hold once we leave,” Aung said.

Aegis sighed, catching his breath. “I know. And if we wait here, guards will come or he’ll come out the next closest one.”

“What do we do, then?” Sabreslate clutched the wound on her arm, gathering her raiment back up from a rope into a cloak.

“You go. I’ll hold him off and fade back to the alley.” Aegis wavered, the world bobbing without moving.

“He’ll kill you before you can fade,” Sabreslate said.

“Maybe. But you’ll get away, and the Aegis will find another guardian.”

Sabreslate shook her head. “I can’t do that. He’d kill me.”

Aegis growled. “If you don’t leave, I’ll beat him to it.”

Sabreslate managed a laugh. “Never.”

Aegis stoked the fire in his heart, showed its flame through his eyes, a mottled grey thread of frustration wrapping tight around the shining gold between them. “Go,” he yelled. “We can’t stop him, we can barely contain him. If you stay, we all die!” hot tears slid down his face.

Sabreslate’s nostrils flared, and he saw her start to argue, but she sighed, shoulders slumping with fatigue and resignation. She stepped back and nodded to Aung.

Aegis stopped onto the manhole cover, knelt down, and looked to the last of his Freithin Shield-bearers. “You’ve done more than enough. Go home and tell the tale of the bravery of your kin. The Freithin have repaid their debt to the Shields twice-over. Call on us, and we will answer.”

Aung tugged on Sabreslate’s arm, and after another moment, they left. Aegis waited on the street, holding back the manhole cover against the scrapes and thuds.

A minute later, the sounds stopped. Aegis lifted his eyes and looked around street, waiting for Qazzi to reappear.

Aegis stood in the middle of the street, throwing open his arms. “Come out, Qazzi. Let’s get this over with.”

And he waited. Countless moments passed as he scanned up and down the street, looking for patrols and wishing his friends the greatest of haste.

He turned over his shoulder just in time to see Qazzi diving down from a nearby roof, blade first.
No time to bring up the shield, no time to do anything but die.
Time slowed to a crawl as Aegis struggled to lift the shield. Far in the distance, a column of light erupted from the Tower of the crown, climbing higher than his eyes could see.

Father. You did it.

The world around him continued to move at a crawl, but suddenly, Aegis was free. A brilliant emerald thread stretching down to him from the Tower.
She is with me.
Boundless energy filled Aegis’ veins. He rose up to meet Qazzi’s blade, and a mighty fist followed it, arcing up and connecting with the assassin.

The blow hurled Qazzi back twenty feet. The assassin broke down the wrought-iron fence of an aristocrat’s yard as he fell. Aegis had never been this strong, stronger than Sapphire even.

But now the City Mother was free, and Aegis was her champion.

Aegis heard a cool voice in his mind. It reminded him of his mother’s voice.

[
Selweh Aria Pacsa. I am with you, my champion. Come to the tower, your father needs you
.]

Aegis looked over to the broken fence, where Qazzi should have been be, there was only the marred garden smashed between the bars.
He’s gone.
Aegis turned towards the tower and broke into to a run, faster than he’d ever run before.
If you die on me, Father, I’ll never forgive you. You have to live to see the city reborn.

When First Sentinel awoke, the Shields were gathered around him, with a pair of the Freithin Shield-bearers, all of them bloodied and beaten. The hall of the City Mother was still streaked with the signs of battle, white and emerald tiles stained and marred. There were bodies scattered around the room and the rafters.

But the tyrant’s minions were nowhere in sight. With the City Mother’s power returned, the sanctity of the tower was restored, as it was before the fall of the Senate. Only those with her blessing could enter, and none who bore ill intent would be able to cross any threshold of the tower.

We have a fortress, now. We’ll be under constant siege, engines brought in from all around the world, bought with Nevri and Medai’s money, designed to crack even the titanbone.

“Report,” First Sentinel croaked.

“The mint is gone,” Sapphire said.

Aegis said, “as is the doctor’s house, but he escaped.” First Sentinel nodded. “Doesn’t matter. Where’s Yema?”

Aegis shook his head. “He was dead by the time I got here. And everyone else was gone, save for the priestesses.” First Sentinel nodded, weak. Every inch of his body was sore or stinging, bloodied, beaten, or both.
I ought to be dead, in truth. Broken ribs, twisted ankle, fractured leg, probably more. If I hadn’t freed the City Mother, I doubtless would be. Instead, the old man lives long enough to see the beginning of the next chapter in the history of Audec-Hal.

“Take me to a window. I want to see the city.” Aegis and Sapphire lifted him up, walked him down two flights of stairs through almost-empty hallways.

Sapphire’s jade thread curved around him towards Aegis, braided with a white strand of hope. And in Aegis’ thread to Sapphire, several strands in the thread were lighter, a shade closer to evergreen.

First Sentinel smile widened as they walked out onto the level below. He saw a priestess of the City Mother at the far end of the hall, bright emerald cloak catching the lantern light as she stopped and bowed.
Did Yema have them locked up somewhere? A question for another time.
They stopped in front of a full-length mirror and set First Sentinel down. The priestess chanted, and the mirror changed, revealing a view of the city. The Shields looked out to the top of Headtown and down the neck to the whole city.

It was nearly light, as dawn spread a long shadow from the tower and the northern cliffs down on the city.

The shadow of the tower stretched all the way down past hook’s hole, and for a moment First Sentinel thought he could see the veranda of his old apartment, where he’d stood each morning, looking up to the tower and waiting for this day to come.

The fifty-year winter has ended. Spring is here. And Audec-Hal will know summer once again.

“Take me back up. And put on some tea. We have work to do.”

Aegis lifted First Sentinel, and then spoke. “They’re preparing for another healing, Father. You’ve been badly hurt.” another priestess approached, carrying a basin of water, towels piled over her arm.

“I’ll be fine, now. I don’t plan on dying until our job is done.”

The seasons would not change on their own, nor quickly. It would take a great many storms to bring on the summer. Thunder, lightning, storms and floods, the path wouldn’t be easy.

First Sentinel looked around to the Shields, battered and bloodied.
Ghost Hands, my oldest friend. Sabreslate, both supporter and critic. Sapphire with her great strength and boundless heart. And Aegis, my son, greatest of us all.

He remembered the ones who had passed, Blurred Fists and aria and all of the rest. They all had brought the Shields to this moment.
With the City Mother supporting us, Her tower our sanctuary and headquarters, we will finish this war.

Then the city would be free again. Selweh could have a real life, and First Sentinel could retire.
I’ll hang up my raiment and belt and spend my days telling stories to children, all the children of the city, not just a handful of Freithin in Rova’s living room. I’ll drink endless cups of tea and bask in their smiles.

He couldn’t dream of anything better.

Acci, Dr.:
a Shield-bearer. A Jalvai doctor who mends the wounds of the Shields.

Aegis:
a Shield of Audec-Hal. There have been five bearers of the Aegis. The first was the founder of the Shields of Audec-Hal, though his true name remains a mystery. Other bearers include Zenari, Aria Enyahi Gara, Aernah, and Selweh aria Pacsa.

Aegis, the:
an enchanted heater shield, the emblem of the Shields of Audec-Hal. Grants its bearer a connection to the power of the City Mother, including incredible strength, agility, and stamina. Cannot be wielded by any but its chosen. When an Aegis dies, the shield finds its way to a new bearer.

Aernah:
also known as Aegis. The fourth bearer of the Aegis, a former school teacher. Deceased.

Aria Enyahi Gara:
also called Valence. Shield of Audec-Hal, and the fourth Aegis. Married to and then estranged from Wonlar Pacsa. Mother of Selweh aria Pacsa. Deceased.

Audec:
one of the titans, who fell to the earth in the first age, and died upon impact, creating a crevasse in the shape of his body. Today, only his bones remain, serving as the building blocks of the city of Audec-Hal.

Audec-Hal:
a city built in the crevasse formed by the fall of the titan Audec. Formerly ruled by a Senate, Audec-Hal is currently controlled by a loose alliance of five leaders: Nevri, COBALT-3, Magister Yema, Medai Omez, and the Smiling King.

Bira Qano:
also known as Ghost Hands. One of the original Shields of Audec-Hal. A Qava of considerable telekinetic talent. Married to Sarii Gebb.

Blue Heart, the:
an alchemical artifact used by Medai Omez to control his Freithin slaves. Destroyed by the Shields of Audec-Hal.

Bluetown:
The self-imposed ghetto of the Freithin. Located in Medai Omez’s domain.

Blurred Fists:
one of the Shields of Audec-Hal. There have been four Blurred Fists, the mantle handed down within one family. The mantle of Blurred Fists is currently held by the Pronai messenger Wenlizerachi, the great-grandson of the original Blurred Fists.

City Mother, the:
Patron goddess of the city of Audechal. The City Mother once protected the city, binding its people together with her compassion and strength. Controlled by Magister Yema, She currently uses her power to keep the people of the city submissive and afraid.

COBALT:
one of the original rulers to seize territory in Audec-Hal after the fall of the Senate. COBALT was an android obsessed with understanding biological life.

COBALT-2:
created by COBALT, and creator of COBALT-3.

COBALT-3:
one of the rulers of Audec-Hal. COBALT-3 shares her grand-creator’s obsession with biological life. COBALT-3’s domain is the city’s right leg, and part of the trunk.

District:
name for a neighborhood of the city of Audec-Hal.

Dom watches-and-Remembers:
Son of Nai watches and Zong Remembers.

Domain:
The area controlled by one of the five rulers of Audec-Hal.

Dlella:
a Full-blood serpentine Millrej lieutenant of Nevri’s.

Douk Tager:
an Ikanollo Shield-bearer. Owner of Douk’s daily, a pro-Shield coffeeshop. Well-connected to in the circles of the Audec elite. Married to Xera Tager.

Dounmo:
a blend of highly caffeinated tea. Known to have pain-relieving properties.

First Sentinel:
one of the first Shields of Audec-Hal. Also known as Wonlar Gonyu Pacsa. Ikanollo alchemist and gadgeteer of the Shields. Adoptive father of Selweh aria Pacsa, the fifth Aegis.

Forked Lightning:
Former Shield of Audec-Hal. A Spark-touched Ikanollo with the ability to create lightning bolts. Deceased.

Freithin:
one of the races of Audec-Hal. Originally created by alchemical processes for the slave pens of Medai Omez. Blue-skinned, they are large in stature, and never stop growing. Due to their size, they are incredibly strong and tough.

Ghost Hands:
one of the first Shields of Audec-Hal. Also known as Bira Qano. A powerful Qava telepath and telekinetic.

Ikanollo:
one of the races of Audec-Hal. By far most common race in the city. Ikanollo are yellow-skinned and brown-haired, to a one. Once they reach majority, all Ikanollo men are identical, and all women are identical. Ikanollo differentiate one another through their ability to see the threads of emotional connection between people.

Jalvai:
one of the races of Audec-Hal. They have grey skin the color of stone. All Jalvai are born with the ability to control and shape stone, making them champion artisans, architects, and builders.

Kesh:
a Freithin song of mourning, sung over the deceased by their family.

Medai Omez:
one of the rulers of Audec-Hal. Also called The Slaver, Medai was the one to bring Freithin to the city. His domain is composed of part of the trunk of the city, as well as the left arm.

Millrej:
one of the races of Audec-Hal. Each family of Millrej takes after their animal patron, with physical characteristics such as fur, scales, or horns. In puberty, some Millrej are revealed as Full-bloods, growing into full anthropomorphic hybrids.

Nai watches:
Married to Zong Remembers. Mother of Dom watches-and-Remembers.

Nevri:
also called Nevri the Lash, Executor Nevri, or The Gangster. A former member of the Viscera city Slicers and former member of the Senate of Audec-Hal. Now one of the five rulers of the city, controlling the territory of Audec’s head and the right arm.

Qazzi Fau:
a Spark-touched Ikanollo lieutenant of Nevri. Formerly a contract killer, Qazzi maintains a group of assassins who help execute Nevri’s will.

Qojimata:
Former Shield of Audec-Hal. Deceased.

Oligarchs, the:
another name for the current rulers of Audec-Hal. One of the acceptable terms for public discourse.

Onyx:
a Spark-touched Freithin lieutenant of the Smiling King. Incredibly strong and seemingly inexhaustible.

Pronai:
one of the races of Audec-Hal. Red-skinned, everything about Pronai is fast. They mature, think, move, and age far faster than the other races. Most die of old age by thirty.

Qava:
one of the races of Audec-Hal. Born without sensory organs, their faces flat, Qava perceive the world through telepathy and telekinesis, subsisting on the thoughts of other races.

Raiment:
The clothing and equipment of a Shield of Audec-Hal. Used both to conceal their identities and to make themselves symbols of freedom and resistance.

Red vixen:
a former Shield of Audec-Hal. A Full-blood fox-kin Millrej. Deceased.

Rova Remembers:
also known as Sapphire. A Shield of Audec-Hal. A Freithin, born in Medai Omez’s slave pens, Rova joined the Shields when her people were freed.

Sabreslate:
one of the Shields of Audec-Hal. Also known as Sarii Gebb. A Jalvai mistress of stone. Able to shape her stone raiment into weapons, shields, and more.

Sapphire:
one of the Shields of Audec-Hal. Also known as Rova Remembers. A freed Freithin who joined the Shields shortly after the Unchaining. One of the largest and strongest Freithin in Audec-Hal.

Sarii gebb:
also known as Sabreslate. One of the Shields of Audec-Hal. An older Javlai. A former sculptor. Married to Bira Qano.

Selweh Aria pacsa:
also known as Aegis. Born Selweh aria Gara. Formerly Second Sentinel. One of the Shields of Audec-Hal. The fifth bearer of the Aegis, and son of Aria Enyahi Gara. Adopted son of Wonlar Gonyu Pacsa.

Shields of Audec-Hal, the:
a group of rebels fighting to overthrow the rule of the tyrants. Founded by the first Aegis shortly after the Senate fire.

Shield-bearer:
one of the civilian supporters of the Shields of Audec-Hal. They provide shelter, supplies, information, and more.

Smiling King:
one of the rulers of Audec-Hal. Also called The Madman. Suspected of being connected to the Spark-storms, the Smiling King’s forces are mostly composed of Spark-touched who have been brainwashed whom the King regards as his family.

Spark-storms:
Supernatural storms that plague the city of Audec-Hal. Spark-storms permanently and inexplicably transform animate and inanimate matter, change the laws of physics within an area, or create other inexplicable changes.

Spark-touched:
Those changed by Spark-storms. Some are physically transformed, others are granted strange abilities. No two people change in the same way.

Threads:
colored bands of emotional connection that tie people together. All Ikanollo can see the threads, tied between the people they connect.

Tyrants, the:
another name for the current rulers of Audec-Hal. Officially forbidden in public discourse.

Unchaining, the:
The raid conducted by the Shields of Audec-Hal that destroyed the Blue heart and freed thousands of Freithin slaves controlled by Medai Omez.

Valence:
one of the first Shields of Audec-Hal. Also known as Aria Enyahi Gara. Her Spark-touched ability allowed her to change her physical form to match something she touched (water, air, steel).

Veins, the:
Slang for the streets of Audec-Hal, as if they were the titan’s veins.

warlock guard, the:
a group of Yema’s servants whose hearts have been removed in a magical ritual, allowing Yema to control their actions.

Wenlizerachi:
also known as Blurred Fists. One of the Shields of Audec-Hal. The fourth Pronai to bear the mantle of Blurred Fists. A part-time courier.

Wonlar Gonyu Pacsa:
also known as First Sentinel. One of the founding Shields of Audec-Hal. Has the Spark-touched ability to control the emotional threads that connect people. Estranged husband of Aria Genyahi Gara. Adoptive father of Selweh aria Pacsa.

Xera Tager:
a Shield-bearer. Co-owner of Douk’s daily. Married to Douk Tager.

Yema:
one of the rulers of Audec-Hal. Also called Magister Yema, or The Sorcerer, Yema’s domain is composed of the city’s left leg and part of the trunk. Yema controls the warlock Guard, as well as the City Mother.

Zenari:
Former Shield of Audec-Hal. An office worker chosen as the second bearer of the Aegis. Deceased.

Zeraneyachi:
Former Shield of Audec-Hal. The third to bear the mantle of Blurred Fists. Mother of Wenlizerachi. Deceased.

Zong Remembers:
Brother to Rova Remembers. Married to Nai Watches. Father of Dom watches-and-Remembers.