River screamed in defiance. He knew he had no chance now. All he could do was cry his last to the dark skies.
The ghoul landed with a screech, its claws digging into the approaching hound before it could begin its attack. There was a yelp. A flurry of fangs and talons and fur. The undead beast must have pursued River halfway across the city, following his scent better than any hunting dog.
Still in River’s grip the first hound barked, desperate to aid its brother. He released his hold on its ears, allowing it to rush into the fray.
River rose unsteadily to his feet, feeling pain in his chest where the hound had raked him with its claws. The two dogs tore at the ghoul, rending with their jaws, but the beast seemed to wear the attacks with indifference, returning every strike with a gash of dripping talons.
He did not wait to see the outcome. Amon Tugha was most likely at the palace already.
As he sprinted down the street towards the Temple of Autumn, with the sun rising on the eastern horizon, the rain suddenly stopped.
FORTY-EIGHT
The rain beat down, unrelenting, as they splashed through the sodden streets. Kaira carried Janessa as best she could, the queen trying desperately to keep the pace, but her leg had been all but crushed beneath her steed and she could do little more than stumble unaided.
There was only one place to go. The Temple of Autumn was the last bastion in the city. Steelhaven was about to be overrun, something evil had been unleashed and if there was to be a last stand then Kaira’s former home was the only place it could be. There was some kind of poetry to it. A kind of logic that it should end there for her. But then none of this had ever been destined to end well.
By the time the temple came in sight they were both breathing heavily. Janessa still clung onto the Helsbayn as though her life depended on it, and there was every chance it would.
As they limped towards the main gate Kaira glanced upwards. The light of dawn was turning the sky from black to grey, and as she looked up the rain suddenly stopped, the sound of its relentless pounding ceasing like the end of a choral piece.
Up ahead they could see the gates to the Temple of Autumn lay ajar. Sanctuary was but a few feet away. The pair stumbled up the steps, Janessa almost collapsing as they did so, but Kaira was not about to let go, not about to give up now they were so close.
When they reached the summit, Kaira shouldered the gates open wondering if there would be anyone here to greet them. When she dragged Janessa inside she stopped, staring about the austere courtyard.
Shieldmaidens lined the yard, standing in ranks, spears and shields held at the ready. Their leader, the Exarch, stood before them, her face hidden behind a full helm. Beyond them Kaira could see the Daughters of Arlor were waiting too, heads covered by their white veils. None of them moved as Kaira and Janessa crossed the threshold and entered the temple.
‘Close the gates,’ Kaira said, still grasping Janessa, who was panting in her arms.
At first nothing. Then a figure from the rear stepped forward. Kaira recognised her instantly despite the veil that covered her face. The Matron Mother’s stooped gait was unmistakable as she walked to within ten feet of Kaira and the queen, and pulled back her shroud.
‘This temple exacts the will of Arlor and Vorena,’ said the old woman. ‘Of course you are welcome, Majesty.’ For a moment the Matron Mother regarded Kaira with a look somewhere near pity. ‘Close the gates,’ she finished.
Two Shieldmaidens moved to secure the gates to the temple, but before they could do so another warrior stepped forward, moving towards the Matron Mother.
‘Wait.’ It was Samina, her chin raised, her eyes defiant. ‘This temple does serve the will of Vorena. But it offers no sanctuary to you.’ She stared at Janessa.
‘What is this heresy?’ said the Matron Mother. ‘Have you gone mad?’
‘Mad?’ Samina replied. ‘I have only been blindfolded, like a goat taken to slaughter. I was a fool when I allowed this place to be desecrated by the High Abbot. We have all been fools to allow our order to be used by kings and lords and priests for centuries. Now is our chance to rise.’
The Matron Mother turned on Samina. ‘Know your place,’ she said, pointing back to the Exarch, who looked shocked. ‘Obey and you will-’
Samina’s sword flashed from its scabbard in a blur, slicing the Matron Mother’s neck in a red arc. The Daughters of Arlor were screaming in a blood-chilling chorus before the old woman hit the ground.
‘What have you done?’ demanded the Exarch.
Kaira could only stare in horror at her sister’s crime, barely able to comprehend what was happening.
‘I have done what you should have done years ago,’ Samina said to the Exarch. ‘I have sought to free this temple from the base corruption it has suffered at the hands of others. Now we will control what happens here.’
‘You’ve gone insane.’ The Exarch drew her own weapon, stepping forward as Samina held her arms wide in greeting. Before the Exarch could move more than five paces, two Shieldmaidens rushed her, their spears thrusting through her breastplate.
Across the courtyard, Kaira could only watch as two Shieldmaidens attacked one another. Then more, as a battle between her former sisters sprang into life from nothing.
This was madness. Part of her mind told her this could not be happening, but it was clear a plot had been laid here, a plot that had nurtured itself for months if not years.
Samina turned back to Kaira. ‘You can join us. You can return to us,’ she said. ‘All you have to do is give her up.’ She pointed at Janessa.
Kaira shook her head, backing away. ‘Never.’
She turned, wondering if they would be able to flee this place before Samina could stop them, but what she saw advancing up the steps to the temple stopped her.
Khurtas, brutal and hungry, stalked towards the temple with murder in their eyes. And at their rear, bearing all his arrogance, came Amon Tugha.
This had been a trap. The Temple of Autumn was not a sanctuary but a tomb, and Kaira had brought her queen right here.
There was no time to curse herself for her folly. She turned back to Samina, hefting her blade. Before she could rush to attack, two Shieldmaidens came at Samina and she was forced to defend herself. In the confusion, Kaira grasped the queen and bundled her across the courtyard.
Shieldmaidens fought all around as the Daughters of Arlor fled the violence screaming. Sisters who had lived with one another for years were now slaughtering each other. There was no time for lamentation, though; the only thing on Kaira’s mind was escape.
Janessa did her best to keep up; both women were mindful of the danger, neither needing to speak. There would be no rescue now. They had to flee or die.
Kaira led them from the courtyard, through a corridor to stairs leading to the cliff edge. They came out on the temple’s upper tier — a sheer wall of yellow rock that looked out on the Midral Sea. The sun was rising now, spreading amber light on the stark green waters. Kaira could see a boat moving past in the distance. It could have taken them to a hundred destinations, any one of them safer than here, but the drop to the seas below would have killed them both; it may as well have been a thousand miles away. She pressed on, moving along the wall, knowing that there was nowhere else to go. Knowing that she was merely choosing where they’d die.
‘Wait,’ said Janessa.
‘We have to keep going,’ Kaira replied, unable to hide the desperation in her voice.
‘Enough … you’ve done enough.’
Kaira stopped, staring at the exhausted girl in her arms as she still clung to that sword, that legacy she had been burdened with. A girl who had stood tall to every challenge asked of her, who had offered herself as sacrifice to save a doomed city.