Chapter 486: HELL OF A TIME (1/2)
Chapter 486: hell OF A TIME
ALARIC MAER
Leaning forward, I let h surface of the table with a dull thunk “I’ll go ru in the dark, here” “That’s a horrible idea,” Darrin answered matter of factly The others quickly echoed the sentirin Caelu”
I knocked ainst the table a second tio Without contact froht be our only way to know for sure” I sat up straight, and the world wobbled drunkenly, which was incredibly ironic considering that Iaround, I took in the fifteen or so people gathered in the second-floor study of a stately townhouse that overlooked Cargidan’sbusy and not outwardly paying attention to my conversation with Darrin, but all their ears were conveniently turned in our direction Most didn’t bother to hide their attentiveness, waiting with nervous eagerness to be involved, one way or another
Not one of the off into the Basilisk Fang Mountains to see why our people kept disappearing around the fortress of Taegrin Caelum without so much as a bloody trail of offal to follow “What? You don’t think I’ in grim satisfaction as they fell or turned away All except
Darrin I waved him off, reached for the flask on ainst the wood beforefor you to do here, and your peck of orphans will beyou”
Darrin’s face fell, and I felt a flush of guilt and regret rise up my neck
Most of those in Darrin’s care were the children of es who had either been in Dicathen already or were sent to Dicathen in the most recent attack
To hunt down Arthur Leywin With no co—we had no way to kno many of their bloods survived “Too many ascenders have been sed up into the belly of this war,” Darrin said softly, looking at the floor “Between those ith Seris, those conscripted to launch this failed attack, and those still suffering the aftereffects of the shockwave, all of Alacrya has ground to a halt Those who are left need help”
A movement in the shadows behind the others drew my attention The specter of my former commander stood with her arolden hair that fell half across her face I sed heavily, took a stuttering breath, and then stood suddenly, nearly knockingmy back on the specter—and everyone else in the roo the street
The usually busy road was eidan in the hours after the shockwave, cutting off all unofficial travel, shutting down the Ascenders association and Central Acade residents to their hos of a oth and a retinue of soldiers,the population—hbloods Dragoth and his retinue had taken over Central
Acade anyone else within a fireball’s throw of the caet in I’ht conjured hi in unke up the street like there was a pair of shadow panthers on his heels
He was alone
I cursed
One of our enforcers, a rugged bruiser named Akron, rushed to theand looked out He cursed as well “Everyone wrap it up! There’s a decent chance this location is blown” “Saelii, start clearing the building,” I barked, already hurrying toward the stairs down to the first floor “Akron, Vaalish, your tea Darrin’s eye froet the abyss out of this dominion Go home, Darrin I mean it”
If he answered, I didn’t hear it over the sto inout the front door and into the street in moments
Still halfway down the block, Edmon of Blood Scriven—a shady little man who had acted as my backdoor into the academic circles—screamed when he saw hblood Kaenig soldiers gave chase Even as he turned to glance desperately back at his pursuers, one of them raised hand, andlong as the sun moved into the west overhead, and suddenly those shadows flared with green light Radiant ooze splashed across the paving stones, sizzling and popping as they ate into the road and the mana shi+eld that had enveloped Edmon at the last second The shi+eld beside ht to hold off the potent attack “Sir?” Vaalish asked, his voice lisping through his scarred lips I ood eye and nodded
A sharp pop sounded around, shouting in pain and covering bleeding ears with their hands The air around the heavily down on their chests with a cohtnоvеlсаvе~c`о their last few futile spells until, one by one, their eyes rolled back in their heads and they passed out froen
Edmon stumbled to a stop in front of me, his hands on his hips and his head thrown back as he sucked desperately at the air “Th-thanks,” he choked out after a lowered at him “Where’s the Severin boy? Tristan?”
He blanched, taking a half step back “They caught us, Alaric We ran for it I just barelyto s A few faces were already pressed against s to watch the co to Akron and Vaalish, I said, “You knohere you need to be Go” Darrin was standing in the doorway to the townhouse we’d just evacuated “I said go home You’ve a bunch of potential orphans who need you I’ll be in touch”
Grabbing Edmon by the collar of his shi+rt, I hurriedly marched him to the closest alley and shoved him into it “If they’re not already on the way, reinforce will be soon Or worse Was there any sign of the Scythe? His retainer? Never We can talk when it’s safer” As I finished speaking, I heard footsteps following and turned back
Darrin pulled a hood up to cover his features as he ducked into the alley after us “I still have a couple things to do in Cargidan before I head hoered the flask atthat foster kid of yours that you got yourself caught or killed being obstinate”
Darrin’s brows raised, and he gaveobstinate, Al Why are you still carrying that flask around if you don’t want to drink from it?” “I need to be myself,” I said under my breath Carefully not to look at the shadow of the wo bundle in her arms, I added, “I need to be more than the drunken ascender I've been for these last decades…”
Darrin’s hing and flexing et rid of Darrin, but I had to be careful I checked the s and corners to ensure eren’t being followed by anyone else, then turned and went down another alley After a couple ht have watched us leave the fight wouldn’t be able to see us anys on this side of the street to try and keep track of us—and win sooth for their efforts
Fuuards, I activated it and called on an item within the attached dimensional space A fancy silver necklace appeared in my hand It was fehblood lady, but I hadn’t exactly been able to choose the design I pressed the necklace into Edrohen he started to questionreed to…” He trailed off, and the apple of his throat bobbed as he sed hard before fuet the dainty jewelry around his scrawny neck “Oh, hurry up!” I snapped, looking around again Mana was pu as ht I could hear ar down the street quite a distance away “Here, letEdmon fasten the necklace
Once it clipped around his neck, there was an immediate pulse from the mana contained inside it, and the features of Edo kind of blurry and indistinct Depending on the angle I looked at him frolance, no one would be able to recognize hi a heavy cloak froh to knock him back into the wall “Wrap yourself up, be quiet, and follow me” I turned, set my jaw, I looked hard into Darrin’s eyes “We need to split up You go that e’ll go this way” I gestured with my thumb
Darrin shook his head, his ar to be so daled up with a patrol, you’ll need so at the blurry Edmon beside me “damn it, boy, you’ll only draw extra attention to us!” I snapped, panic building in uts “Go that way Circle back around and head to the library It’s shuttered, but a couple of the guards on duty respond well to bribes Keep trying to follow us, and I swear I’ll knock you on your ass”
Darrin’s jaw fell slack, his eyes as wide as if he’d just seen a woggart playing Sovereign’s Quarrel I turned my back on him and an to follow We kept , but ere soon forced onto the larger roads While the empty streets meant a lot fewer eyes to avoid, it also uards couldn’t identify Ed, or clock us just for being outside “So? What’s happening at the Acadeht it was safe to talk
Edmon, his blurred face barely visible beneath the deep hood, cast about nervously before replying “All of the Instillers and staff that have been trickling into the city froo so far as to say they’re i hard to ensure that word of what’s happening doesn’t leak out into the populace” “And were you able to find out anything about what’s happening?” I asked “Apparently, part of the fortress collapsed when the shockwave happened After that, the fortress itself seeainst its inhabitants Friend or foe alike Many, n?”
There was a long pause I grabbed the sleeve of Edmon’s shi+rt and pulled hirona?”
Edmon cleared his throat nervously “It’s only a run’s inflamed arse, Edmon—” My words cut off as I saw the lithe silhouette of my commander’s specter half hidden in a nearby doorway, face in shadow as it was fra it had been, wondering if her hair had actually sat that way on her face, or if I had simply made it up as my tired, sober, brittle old mind manifested the dead woman as if she were really there
Edaze “Apparently a few of theartifacts around Dicathen are still operational” He hesitated again, his expressionartifact “One of them was collected by a Wraith, who returned it to Alacrya Only a fe its contents”
I waited, growing increasingly irritated with Ed around the bush
Perhaps he noticed, because he hurried onward “Al was killed” “Then how does anyone knoas on it?” “Because one of the Instillers responsible for reviewing it fled before Dragoth caught wind of this all,” Edful look “Do these ru?”
Ed “Only that it proves that the High Sovereign is gone for good”
My arin Caelum really was inaccessible, even to a Scythe, and there was proof that Agrona was dead or captured…
It has to be worth it
I led Edmon off the street and around the back of a closed-up accolades shop As I channeled into the mana lock, the door opened from the inside I had only a moment to take in a man in black and crimson plate armor One short onyx horn stuck up froht red eye, while no horn was visible on the other side, where the eye was a murky brown