White Star (21 page)

When it was done, she opened her eyes and drew a long breath.

Reader looked at her, dazed. “Thank you, Lady.”

Evelyn nodded, rose to her feet, and looked around. Timothy and Thomas stood guard a few steps down the hall, facing away. Orrin was in the open doorway. He looked at Reader. “Sloppy.”

Reader’s eyes cleared. “Sloppy? Who’d expect a poison trap after a magical one?” he asked as he scrambled up from the floor. His indignation faded as he peered over Orrin’s shoulder. “What’s in there?”

Orrin snorted. “Not what you’d expect.” He stepped back.

Reader saw it first, and his mouth fell open.

The room was huge, and filled with treasure.

Mage stood in the center, looking about with glowing eyes. “No magic here.”

Reader darted in. Evelyn stepped into the doorway and moved close to Orrin, in awe of the wealth she saw before her.

Orrin chuckled, his breath on her ear. “Look again.”

Evelyn glanced at him, then looked again. Mage and Sidian were moving around the room, searching, and she realized that she could see three of them. The room was big, and it was made to look bigger by the mirrors that leaned against the walls, reflecting the gold and silver objects displayed on tables and in open chests.

But it wasn’t just gold and silver. The room was filled with bowls and plates and cups of various metals, shiny and glittery even in the soft green light of their lanterns. There were even a few chamber pots in the clutter.

“I think every glittery thing in the castle must be in here,” Orrin said softly. “As if the odium think a reflective surface means it’s worth something.”

Evelyn nodded toward Reader, who was scooping a handful of gems from a chest and putting them in his pouch.

Orrin raised his eyebrows, and shrugged.

Sidian held up a blue stone, showing it to Orrin. “Prettiest sapphires I’ve ever seen.”

“I’ve seen prettier,” Orrin said. He lowered his head to Evelyn’s ear, and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Like the sapphire blue of your eyes.”

Evelyn felt the heat flood her cheeks. She turned her head, but Orrin stepped outside the door. “I’ll take the watch, boys. Help yourselves, but go easy. We need to keep moving.”

Timothy and Thomas walked into the room, and started to rummage around.

Mage pulled his attention away from the treasure. “Where we going next?”

Orrin’s voice floated back to them. “If it’s not here, it’s in Elanore’s private chambers. We need to go there.”

Mage groaned.

“Where are they?” Evelyn asked, as she moved behind Orrin to help keep watch.

“In the West Tower.”

His
men were smart enough not to load themselves down, taking only a pouch of gems each. Orrin gave them time to take what they wanted, then got them moving fast. He didn’t know if the magic they’d used was enough to attract attention, but he wanted out of these tunnels.

He took the lead this time, moving deliberately, Timothy and Thomas at his back. He set a brisk pace, and within minutes they were back at the base of the spiral stairs. No sign of odium.

It worried him.

Elanore had used the workroom below to create the things. He remembered the people being herded down the stairs and dragged into that room. But what he recalled of the equipment she’d used— the tables, the bottles, the chains on the walls— nothing remained.

If they had to search the entire Keep, he’d do it. The source had to be here.

He paused at the bottom step, and pounded the pommel of his sword against the stone three times.

Three taps came from above.

“Go.” He gestured to Reader, who took the stairs fast, the others following. Orrin gave one last look into the darkness, waiting until the sounds faded before he turned and ran up to the top.

Archer was there, waiting. “Well?”

“Nothing,” Orrin reported.

“Not a sound here,” Archer said. “We headed into the Keep?”

Orrin nodded. “Stow the lanterns, and let your eyes adjust to the light. We’ll go as a group, across the courtyard and into the kitchens.”

It took only a moment to put the little ball lanterns away. A few adjustments, and then they were ready.

At Orrin’s nod, Reader unlocked the door and threw it open.

As before, an odium lunged from behind it, and grabbed for Reader’s throat.

As before, Reader jerked back, and dropped to the ground.

As before, Timothy lunged over him, his spear plunging into the monster’s chest. Once again, Thomas moved as well, his spear piercing the monster. Reader scrambled to the side, to let them push it through the door and onto the floor beyond.

But this time there were more odium behind the first, their hands stretching out over the first’s shoulder. Reader scrabbled back on his hands and knees as they reached for him.

The weight of their bodies was too much to stop. Thomas went to his knees, bracing his spear against the weight. Timothy bore down, trying to press them back. “Can’t hold ’em,” he gasped as the haft of his spear bowed to the breaking point.

«
^
»

In
an instant, Orrin and Sidian brushed past Evelyn to the door. Orrin added his weight to Timothy’s, grasping the spear and shoving. The odium roared, unable to advance. They leaned forward, teeth bared, their powerful arms extended to grab the men.

Sidian stood over Thomas, wielding his mace, using his shield to press the odium back.

Archer had taken a stance with his bow, cursing. Mage was focused, but Evelyn knew Archer didn’t dare take a shot.

Reader had turned to face the stairs, guarding their backs.

“Evelyn,” Orrin said, “now. Do it now.”

She hesitated, staring at the gray, empty faces of the odium as they snarled and howled. Last time, she’d been terrified, but now . . . they looked so. . .

“They’re not people.” Orrin’s voice cracked as he strained to help Timothy. “They’re not—”

He was right. They were dead, undead, corpses walking through the use of perverted magic. She sucked in a deep breath, gathered her power, and shouted three words.

The flames exploded behind the odium, scorching the monsters outside. But the fire also lashed through the doorway. Everyone staggered back as heat and flame surged over them.

The odium in the door fell, crisped and burnt. A new wave of the monsters started through the door, but Evelyn was prepared. She called the fire again— a pillar of fire now, that she fed with her anger and fear. The pillar danced around outside, engulfing the monsters, who fell, blackened, to the ground. She kept the flames raging, burning—

“Evie.” Orrin’s voice was a whisper in her ear.

Her concentration broken, the flames collapsed. In the silence she stood, breathing hard from the effort, and looked into Orrin’s approving eyes.

“Skies above,” Sidian said, lifting his hand to his face. “Are my eyebrows gone?”

“Yeah.” Archer laughed nervously as Timothy helped Thomas up. “Be glad it wasn’t your face.”

Thomas nodded, putting his fingers to his face. His skin was reddened, as if he’d been out in the sun too long.

“We need to move,” Orrin said. “Reader.”

Reader nodded, and slid out the door, picking his way through the bodies.

“Sidian, I’m sorry.” Evelyn lifted her hands to his face. His skin was warm under her cold hands. “I didn’t—”

Sidian chuckled as he urged her out the door. “No need, Priestess. We were warned, yes?”

The smell outside was bad, and Evelyn held her breath as they headed for the opposite door. They passed through the courtyard, then into the kitchens, unused and empty, and came into what had once been a dining hall.

“Nothing,” Orrin growled. “I don’t like this.”

“Ain’t happy, either,” Archer said as they moved through the scattered wreckage of chairs and tables. “Main or the servants’ stairs?”

“Servants’ stairs,” Orrin decided. “Fast as we can.”

Archer nodded, and he and Reader headed for an entranceway beside the large hearth.

It was a spiral staircase, narrow and steep, designed to give the staff easy access and to be easily defendable. The stone was dark and cold, and smelled damp. The small, shuttered windows let in enough light for them to see.

Evelyn kept the pace as they ascended the stairs quickly. But as she ran, she was conscious of being watched, as if the Keep had awakened in some strange way. There was a feeling in the very air, as if unseen eyes were now turned upon them, aware of their presence.

She caught a glimpse of Mage’s face behind her, and knew he felt it, too.

The tight spiral carried them up the floors of the Keep. Evelyn could see only Thomas in front of her, and Mage behind, because of the curve of the stairs. But she knew that Reader was pausing at each landing, just long enough to make sure the way was clear.

One floor, then another. They continued up, until Thomas stopped. Reader must have paused a few steps below the third landing.

She stopped, breathing hard, listening. Mage did the same behind her, and she heard Orrin whisper a question below. Evelyn reached out and touched Thomas’s arm. He looked back at her with a shrug, knowing no more than she.

Then a whisper came, and Thomas nodded, and bent down to her. “Odium in the corridor ahead. Reader says move fast, and we can get past ’em.”

Evelyn turned, but Mage was already passing the word down the stairs. He turned back and gave her a nod while digging in his pouch.

Thomas whispered something to his brother ahead of him, and suddenly they were moving, faster than before. Evelyn ran behind Thomas, seeing the hallway pass in a blur, seeing the odium turning to look.

Mage spoke behind her, and she caught a glow of light from his hands. He threw a handful of the copper balls down the stairs behind him. They clattered and clanked as they fell. Mage flashed her a grin, but then his eyes went wide as Sidian and Orrin cursed below him. He urged her on, Sidian and Orrin close behind.

Evelyn grinned right back, as she turned to run. With any luck the odium would chase the balls down the stairs, and ignore them. She reached the fourth landing, and moved past that opening, only to run smack into Thomas’s back. Mage pressed tight to her, Sidian and Orrin close behind.

“Odium— on the stairs above,” Evelyn heard Archer whisper.

“This way.” Orrin moved into the hallway.

Evelyn followed Mage, and saw Orrin yank open a door to a small privy with a stone bench, a hole, and a narrow window. She opened her mouth to protest, but Sidian never stopped, just stepped onto the seat and pressed himself against the wall. Mage scrambled in next, standing on the other side.

Orrin sat, and pulled Evelyn into his lap, as Archer came at a run. Orrin pulled her head close to his chest, and ducked his head as Archer climbed up into the small window.

Timothy and Thomas pressed in, with Reader right behind, pulling the door closed and shooting the bolt.

They all froze, holding their breaths, listening.

After a long moment, Archer snorted. “Oh, this is heroic.”

Evelyn pressed her face into Orrin’s shoulder to stifle her laugh.

She
felt wonderful in his arms.

Orrin was sure this was some new torture designed by the Gods to send his wits wandering. Evelyn filled his arms, her soft breasts pressed against his arm in ways that he wasn’t going to think about. He put his head against the stone wall behind him, trying to think of odium, of Sidian’s breath, of anything but the woman in his lap.

She pressed her face to his shoulder, and he could tell she was trying not to laugh.

He was damned for all eternity, and then some.

Orrin drew in a long, deep breath and ignored the scent of her soot-filled hair.

Reader was on the floor between his knees, ear pressed to the door. “Well?” Orrin asked quietly.

Reader sounded grim. “They’re out there.”

Evelyn was looking over Orrin’s head. “Archer, are you—”

“I’m good,” Archer said. “Long as I got a window, I’m good.”

“Anything outside?” Sidian asked softly.

Archer shifted in the casement. “Nothing, far as I can see.”

“We can’t stay here,” Orrin said.

“Not easy, fighting our way out of a privy,” Sidian observed.

“We wait until the hall clears a bit, then we go,” Orrin said.

“I’ve got a better idea,” Reader said. “There’s another way.”

Evelyn
felt Orrin’s arms tighten around her as he looked down at Reader. “You can’t be serious.”

“We go out this door, we’ll fight every step of the way, up or down,” Reader said. “There were more odium coming down those stairs. We go out, there’s less chance—”

“Out the window?” Mage squeaked.

“How about down the shit hole?” Thomas asked. “We got rope,” Reader said softly. “The stone’s rough enough that I can climb freehand up to the next window, and tie the rope off.”

“Rather take my chances on the stairs,” Timothy protested.

“Or in the hole,” Thomas muttered.

“The hole only leads down,” Orrin pointed out.

“Or,” Reader said, “I go up alone, and take a look.”

“No.” Orrin shook his head. His jaw clenched as he considered the options. Evelyn held her breath, waiting. “That’s the privy of the Lady’s shrine up there, isn’t it?”

Reader nodded.

Orrin sighed. “Archer—”

“Ain’t heights I got a problem with,” Archer whispered. “Let’s do it.”

Orrin craned his neck to look at the small window. “Will Sidian fit?”

“I’ll strip,” the huge black man said. “Anyone got any grease?”

Both Mage and Reader reached for their packs.

Orrin hugged Evelyn closer as the men started to shift around them, carefully sheathing weapons and preparing for the climb. Sidian dug out a wicked iron hook and secured the rope to it.

Reader took off his boots, and rubbed his hands dry on his trous. He removed his pack, weapons, and cloak, and tucked his tunic into his trous, tightening his belt. “Ready.”

“Dagger?” Orrin suggested.

Reader shook his head. “Don’t want anything that might fall.” He stepped up on the seat and used Orrin’s shoulder to reach the window.