Page 49 of Shroud of Eternity (Sister of Darkness: The Nicci Chronicles 2)

“Thank you for your information,” Thora said, her words as sharp as the edges of broken glass. “But our solution is obvious.”

Nathan unconsciously brushed the green silk of his sleeves. “I’m afraid it’s not obvious to me, Sovrena. What solution did you have in mind?”

“We will work our magic from the pyramid. The Norukai have delivered enough slaves to us, so we should raise the shroud again with all due haste, even if it is just a temporary measure, as before. Then our beloved city will be safe from that great army, even if it should awaken.”

“An army of statues might not be the worst threat you have to worry about,” Nicci said quietly.

Elsa and Quentin looked up, surprised. Chief Handler Ivan picked at his fingernails with a stubby dagger. “What threat is that?”

Uninterested in the discussion, Captain Kor said, “Just keep your damned shroud down until our ships are away. We plan to stay a few more days.”

“Preparations will take time,” Maxim said. “You have plenty of opportunity to cause trouble in Ildakar before you sail back downriver.”

Kor, Lars, Yorik, and Dar chuckled mischievously at the invitation.

“We’ll still go home with plenty of gold,” Kor said.

“And an extra barrel of bloodwine for King Grieve,” Dar added.

Nicci looked at Nathan, knowing that neither of them wanted to be bottled up in Ildakar for years. But they each still had important work to do here.

Interrupting the malaise of the meeting, one of the city guards burst into the main council chamber with a clatter of footsteps. “There’s been another killing! Sovrena, it’s…” He fell silent, sickened.

Maxim brushed lint from his black pantaloons. “Murder? Is it those vile malcontents again?”

Tears streamed from the breathless guard’s eyes. “Sovrena, I ran to tell you, but they are just behind me—”

A procession hurried up the stairs, marched into the open chamber. Uniformed guards carried a body wrapped in cloaks. Patches of blood were already soaking through the silken cloaks that covered the body. The men were somber and shaken.

Thora stood tall in front of her throne. Maxim hurried across the blue marble tiles, curious rather than horrified. “And what have we here?” He pulled one of the cloaks away to reveal a stained red shoulder pauldron.

The first guard’s face was flushed from exertion and fear. “It is High Captain Avery! He was out on night patrol, and we found his body this morning. It was hoisted up in the slave market and left on display.” He choked out his words as Thora stepped down from the dais, visibly shaking. “He was stabbed repeatedly with mirror shards.”

Horrified, Thora turned white and removed the silken cloak from the corpse’s face. She stared at Avery’s handsome features, now marred by gashes and dried blood. His eyes had been gouged out, and long crystalline shards had been thrust into his chest, his throat, his mouth, left there to reflect the pain of his dying.

Thora let out a keening wail. “Nooo!” Her immaculately coiffed hair wafted and her skin seemed to crackle as her fury summoned the magic within her. “Those savages must be eradicated.” Grief-struck, she backed away, covering her face.

Maxim was flippant. “You will find other lovers, my dear.” He intercepted the guard procession before they could set the body on the marble floor. He shooed them away. “You will not leave him here, and we will not let his body lie in state as an honored gifted noble.”

“But he was the high captain!” said the lead guard.

Maxim gave the man a withering frown. “Any guard captain who would let himself be killed by street rabble is worthless.”

Nicci stepped forward, even though she knew they didn’t want to hear her speak up. “This is a sign of dangerous unrest in your city. You should do something about it, understand why the people would react this way. Let me and my companions help, and maybe we can release the pressure before it’s too late. Avery should be the last guard who needs to die.”

“Avery didn’t need to die!” the sovrena shrieked.

Maxim seemed more amused than horrified. “Ildakar has been a fine and stable place for many centuries.”

Nathan continued to look at the bloody body wrapped in cloaks. “It doesn’t appear to be entirely fine and stable.”

Thora wasn’t listening. She shook her head, closed her eyes, and retreated to her raised chair, where she collapsed, weeping.

Maxim shot a glance at Chief Handler Ivan. “Feed the body to the arena animals. That way he can at least serve some small purpose other than as a sexual plaything for the sovrena.” He made a vehement gesture, and the unsettled guards hurried out with their bloody burden.

Ivan cracked his knuckles. “An excellent suggestion, Wizard Commander. I can use it for training purposes.” As he followed them out, the body left a trail of blood on the polished blue marble floor.

The visiting Norukai looked after the murdered guard captain and seemed to find the entire scene amusing.

CHAPTER 36

After watching Ulrich slaughtered in the combat arena, Bannon was angry. As he sat in the gathering darkness outside the villa, he remembered how distraught and confused the ancient stone warrior had looked upon awakening after fifteen centuries. Bannon had tried to help him, as he always tried to help those in need, but Ulrich was tricked and betrayed.

How the audience in the combat arena had cheered! Just as they had cheered when Ian, the champion, also fought for his life in front of the crowd. And the same people had watched so eagerly when the Norukai dragged in scores of abused captives to the slave market.

Bannon did not belong here in this city; he knew that in his heart. He didn’t understand the people of Ildakar, and he just wanted to go away. This was not the adventure he had been seeking, but he had to stay here until Nathan got the assistance he needed, and until Bannon found a way to free Ian from his long nightmare. Despite promises and reassurances, Amos had done nothing to gain Ian his freedom. He didn’t seem to care, but Bannon didn’t know what else to do.

“You look so glum, my friend!” Amos clapped him hard on the shoulder, startling him as he sat outside the villa on a stone bench. “It’s nighttime, when the pleasures of Ildakar c

ome alive.” He flashed a bright grin. His two ever-present companions also came up behind him, dressed in fine fur-trimmed silks of blue, green, and orange.

“Come with us,” said Jed. “We’ll distract you.”

“I’m not in the mood,” Bannon said. “I’d rather stay in my quarters for tonight.”

“You have quarters here because we allow it,” Amos replied sourly, with a hint of a threat. “You tell brave stories of your great battles, but you’re afraid to join your new friends? Come, we’re going back to the silk yaxen. Now that you know what to expect, maybe you’ll have a better time at the dacha.”

“Sweet Sea Mother…” Bannon muttered to himself. “I told you that isn’t something I’d like to participate in. You go ahead.”

“At least accompany us,” Brock prodded. “Look at the beautiful ladies if you don’t want to touch them. There’s no requirement for what you have to do.”

“But you promised you’d help my friend Ian.”

Amos grimaced at the reminder. “We will, but not tonight. He’s been here for years, so there’s no hurry. Now, come with us.”

Bannon felt trapped, but he felt trapped by many things in Ildakar. He longed for when he, Nicci, and Nathan could travel the open countryside again with Mrra loping beside them. Ildakar seemed so crowded, with small spaces, tiny dwellings, narrow streets. Now he felt pressure from the three young men staring at him.

Maybe he would have a chance to talk more about Ian.… “All right, I’ll go with you.”

Laughing, the young men led the way. Now that they had coerced Bannon to join them, they barely bothered to notice him.

He let his thoughts wander as they went down the winding streets. He imagined somehow breaking Ian free from the training pits and escaping from the city. The two of them could survive out in the hills, find some of the towns or cities not far from Ildakar. Or, Ian could travel with their group and explore the vast Old World, have wondrous adventures … and Ian and Bannon would have a chance to recover their friendship.

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