Gates of Ruin (Magelands Eternal Siege, #6) Read online

  Gates of Ruin

  Christopher Mitchell is the author of the epic fantasy series The Magelands. He studied in Edinburgh before living for several years in the Middle East and Greece, where he taught English. He returned to study classics and Greek tragedy and lives in Fife, Scotland with his wife and their four children.

  By Christopher Mitchell

  The Magelands Origins

  Retreat of the Kell

  The Trials of Daphne Holdfast

  From the Ashes

  * * *

  The Magelands Epic

  The Queen’s Executioner

  The Severed City

  Needs of the Empire

  Sacrifice

  Fragile Empire

  Storm Mage

  Soulwitch Rises

  Renegade Gods

  * * *

  The Magelands Eternal Siege

  The Mortal Blade

  The Dragon’s Blade

  The Prince’s Blade

  Falls of Iron

  Paths of Fire

  Gates of Ruin

  City of Salve

  * * *

  Copyright © Christopher Mitchell 2021

  Cover by Miblart

  Map by Irina French

  Cover Copyright © Brigdomin Books Ltd 2021

  Christopher Mitchell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems (except for the use of brief quotations in a book review), if you would like permission to use material from the book please contact [email protected]

  Brigdomin Books Ltd

  First Edition, April 2021

  Ebook Edition © April 2021

  ISBN 978-1-912879-55-7

  For the Magelanders

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank the following for all their support during the writing of the Magelands Eternal Siege - my wife, Lisa Mitchell, who read every chapter as soon as it was drafted and kept me going in the right direction; my parents for their unstinting support; Vicky Williams for reading the books in their early stages; James Aitken for his encouragement; and Grant and Gordon of the Film Club for their support.

  Thanks also to my Advance Reader team, for all your help during the last few weeks before publication.

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  Dramatis Personae

  The Forted Shore

  Kelsey Holdfast, Blocker of Powers

  Aila, Demigod & Shape-shifter

  Amalia , Former God-Queen of the City

  Alea Tanton

  Belinda, The Third Ascendant

  Leksandr, The Sixth Ascendant

  Arete, The Seventh Ascendant

  Silva, Belinda’s Aide

  Felice, God; Governor of Lostwell

  Latude, God; Former Governor of Lostwell

  Kin Dai

  Corthie Holdfast, Champion

  Naxor, Demigod; Cousin of Vana & Aila

  Vana, Sister of Aila; cousin of Naxor

  Van Logos, Former Banner Captain

  Sohul, Former Banner Lieutenant

  Catacombs

  Sable Holdfast, Dream Mage

  Maddie Jackdaw, Dragon Rider

  Sanguino, Former Bloodflies Dragon

  Millen, Torduan Fugitive

  Deathfang, Lord of the Catacombs

  Ashfall, Deathfang’s Elder Daughter

  Broadwing, Discontented Dragon

  Deepblue, Discontented Dragon

  Burntskull, Deathfang’s Advisor

  Darksky, Deathfang’s Mate

  Halfclaw, Green & Blue Dragon

  Grimsleep, Sanguino’s Father

  Implacatus

  Edmond, The Second Ascendant

  Bastion, Edmond’s Enforcer

  Others

  Blackrose, Captured Dragon

  Frostback, Deathfang’s Daughter

  Contents

  Printable Maps

  1. The Back-up Plan

  2. The Noose

  3. Low

  4. Back to the Skies

  5. Exhibition

  6. Playing Along

  7. Going Nowhere

  8. The Son Rises

  9. The Vow

  10. A Glimmer of Silver

  11. No Fixed Abode

  12. Home to Roost

  13. Plan, Interrupted

  14. Making Allowances

  15. Without a Cause

  16. Apology

  17. The Eastern Tower

  18. Gratitude

  19. Cabin Fever

  20. The True Enemy

  21. An End to Suffering

  22. Homeward

  23. Deep Water

  24. Pig Iron

  25. The Missing Piece

  26. Lord of the Catacombs

  27. The Broken City

  28. The Gates of Old Alea

  29. The Key

  30. The Last Dawn

  31. Dislocation

  Note on the Calendar

  Author’s Notes

  The Magelands Series

  Receive a FREE Magelands Eternal Siege Book

  Printable Maps

  For printable maps, please visit:

  www. christophermitchellbooks. com/ printable- maps- eternal- siege

  Chapter 1

  The Back-up Plan

  S toneship, Forted Shore – 13th Lexinch 5252

  The shimmering air materialised, and a stone chamber appeared, lit by a series of narrow slit windows. Aila dropped to the cold floor, Amalia writhing and struggling beneath her. A few feet away, Kelsey landed awkwardly, her ankle buckling under her as she fell onto the stone flagstones.

  ‘Get off me!’ cried Amalia, pushing at Aila with her good hand.

  ‘What did you do?’ yelled Aila. ‘Where are we?’

  Amalia raked her fingernails across Aila’s cheek and lashed out with her boots, catching the demigod with a painful blow down her shin. Aila let go of the former God-Queen, and Amalia rolled away, the Quadrant clattering onto the floor beside her.

  ‘Get her!’ shouted Kelsey, as she clasped her ankle. ‘She has no power over you. Punch her teeth in.’

  Amalia’s glance darted from the Quadrant to her granddaughter, a glimmer of fear in her eyes.

  ‘She’s right,’ said Aila, tensing herself to spring. ‘For the first time in my life, I’m not scared of you, grandmother.’

  ‘You should be,’ said Amalia, pulling a knife from her robes.

  The two immortals stared at each other in silence for a moment, and Aila heard the cry of a gull through the slit windows, as a waft of salty ocean air drifted into the chamber. Outside, the sky was a deep blue, dazzling compared to the dim light within the stone room.

  ‘You can’t beat us,’ said Aila, ‘not with one good arm and no powers. Step back from the Quadrant.’

  Amalia laughed as she brandished the knife. ‘Try to take it. Do you have any idea how much I would enjoy cutting you to ribbons, granddaughter?’

  Kelsey pulled herself to a standing position, though she was putting no weig
ht onto her left ankle. ‘I’ll get round behind her.’

  ‘No,’ said Aila; ‘stay where you are. If she wounds you, you won’t be able to self-heal. I can take her on my own.’

  Amalia lashed out with the knife as Aila launched herself at her. The blade sliced through the thin layer of clothes around the demigod’s waist, sending pain shooting through her body. She shoved Amalia back, pushing her to the ground, and scooped up the Quadrant in her right hand as the wound began to heal. Aila took a few paces back, her eyes scanning the blood across the front of her clothes.

  The former God-Queen laughed from the stone floor. ‘And what are you going to do now, little Aila?’

  The demigod glanced down at the copper-coloured device clutched in her hand. Her eyes caught Kelsey, who shrugged.

  ‘Do you know how to use it?’ said Aila.

  ‘No,’ said Kelsey.

  Amalia laughed again, then raised her voice. ‘Maxin!’ she yelled. ‘A little assistance, if you please. Bring weapons.’ She smiled at Kelsey and Aila. ‘Place the Quadrant onto the ground and raise your hands in the air, and then, perhaps, I will be merciful, and you won’t be beaten too severely.’

  ‘She’s bluffing,’ said Kelsey. ‘She panicked in Yoneath, and took us to the first place she could think of, only she wasn’t expecting you, Aila. She thought it would just be me.’

  ‘That’s quite true,’ said Amalia. ‘However, as I have a score to settle with my granddaughter, her presence here will in no way inconvenience me. As for bluffing, we shall see, won’t we?’

  ‘Where are we?’ said Aila.

  ‘Far from Yoneath,’ said Amalia, getting back to her feet, ‘and far from anyone who can help you. By now, the Ascendants will be destroying the bickering fools standing by the Sextant. Even Blackrose and Corthie combined will not be able to stand up to them. I was the best chance they had, and they spurned it. The only reason I helped rescue Kelsey was so that I could use her to hide from Arete and Leksandr, but I was willing to share possession of the Holdfast girl, and I was willing to transport everyone out of that hideous cavern. This is their fault, not mine.’

  Aila stared at the engraved marks on the surface of the Quadrant, wishing she had paid more attention to how the device operated. The symbols and lines were meaningless to her.

  Kelsey cocked her head. ‘There’s no one here; no one’s coming. We should get that knife off her and force her to tell us how the Quadrant works.’

  ‘Maxin!’ Amalia yelled again, then shook her head. ‘Where is that boy? You would think with all the gold I’ve paid him, he would be a little more responsive.’

  Aila passed the Quadrant to Kelsey. ‘You hold onto this, and I’ll disarm her.’

  The sound of boots thumping up a flight of stairs reached them, and a grin split the face of the former God-Queen. There was only one door leading from the chamber and it burst open. Two men entered, one holding a crossbow, the other a long-handled axe. The man with the crossbow stared into the room, his eyes settling on Amalia.

  ‘Ma’am,’ he said, out of breath; ‘I wasn’t expecting you.’

  ‘Of course you weren’t,’ she said. ‘And who is this with you? Did you use my money to hire another guard?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am,’ said Maxin; ‘just as you requested. I also hired a housekeeper and a servant; I can show you the receipts…’

  ‘Yes, well, let’s not worry about the details right now. As you can see, I have brought us a couple of… guests. The shorter one is a mortal, like you, so be sure not to damage her; she is extremely valuable.’

  Maxin pointed his crossbow at Aila and Kelsey, a look of confusion on his face. ‘What, uh, what should I do with them, ma’am?’

  ‘I believe the cellar has a few dungeon-shaped rooms,’ said Amalia. ‘Tie them up and put them in there. We can procure shackles and chains in the town; send our new servant out with enough gold to buy some.’

  Maxin bit his lip for a moment, then glanced at the man next to him. ‘Get the rope.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ the man said, then hurried away.

  Amalia’s eyes sparkled as she approached Kelsey. ‘Bluffing, eh? Did you really believe that I wouldn’t have somewhere prepared and ready? While Silva was off looking for Belinda, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. That, added to the natural feeling of concern about Belinda’s possible reaction to my presence, left me with little choice but to secure myself a small refuge, just in case. Now, the Quadrant, please.’

  Kelsey narrowed her eyes. ‘Forget it.’

  Amalia lunged out with her hand. Kelsey hobbled backwards, but the hand was meant for Aila, and Amalia gripped her arm, sending her death powers directly into the demigod. Aila choked and fell to her knees, her skin scabbing and rotting.

  Amalia smiled. ‘As you can see, young Holdfast, I’m not completely powerless. I watched Belinda heal Van, remember? Now, place the Quadrant on the ground, or I will irreparably damage Aila’s self-healing powers, leaving her to die a miserable and agonising death. I don’t need her; I only need you.’

  Aila gasped, blood coming from her lips. She remembered the God-Queen doing the same to her in the City, but she hadn’t been pregnant back then, and fear ripped through her at the thought of losing the child she and Corthie had conceived. Kelsey stood in silence for a moment, as Maxin watched from the doorway, then she placed the Quadrant on the ground.

  ‘Good,’ said Amalia. ‘Now, take a few steps back. That’s it; a little more.’

  As soon as Kelsey was a couple of yards from the device, Amalia released Aila and grabbed the Quadrant. The demigod collapsed to the stone floor, and Kelsey rushed to her side. Aila panted, closing her eyes in shame at how powerless and scared she had been. She felt inside her, and her powers sensed the life within her womb. It seemed healthy and safe, but could she be sure?

  ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, her voice hoarse, her hand on her midriff.

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ said Kelsey.

  The door swung open, and the man from before entered, along with a Fordian woman who was carrying a long length of rope. They stopped and stared at the sight of Aila on the ground, her skin slowly healing.

  ‘Don’t just stand there,’ said Amalia. ‘Please bind our guests, and make sure the knots are tight and secure.’

  ‘Should we gag and hood them, ma’am?’ said Maxin.

  ‘Why bother?’ said Amalia. ‘The walls here are so thick that no one will hear them if they scream.’

  * * *

  The shackles and chains took several hours to arrive. Aila and Kelsey had been led down two flights of stairs into a large system of cellars, some filled with barrels and casks, others lying empty, and were made to sit in one while Maxin watched them with his crossbow. The ropes securing their wrists were cut, and the new shackles attached with much fuss and confusion, none of Amalia’s hired helpers having much experience in the art of chaining people. The window slits of the cellar were barred to prevent robberies and the two lengths of chain were attached to an iron bar, the other ends fastened to the shackles around the prisoners’ right wrists. Aila had been slow to recover from the death powers inflicted by Amalia, and Kelsey’s twisted ankle had also rendered her unable to flee. Finally, after more than an hour of angry words and muttered curses, the shackling was finished, and the small group led by Maxin left the cellar room, its door closed and locked behind them.

  Kelsey got up from the floor as soon as they were gone, and hobbled over to the nearest window slit. She grasped the bar and shook the chains, but everything seemed secure.

  ‘We’re on the coast,’ she said. ‘All I can see is water.’

  Aila nodded.

  ‘The walls are ten feet thick,’ Kelsey went on, ‘like a fortress or something. Any idea where we could be?’

  ‘No.’

  Kelsey glanced down at her. ‘You better yet?’

  ‘I think so. This is my fault. I panicked when she grabbed my arm.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous;
she could have killed you. I know you’re probably regretting your intervention back in Yoneath, but I’m grateful that I’m not alone. Between us, we’ll think of a way to get out of here.’

  Aila lifted her eyes. ‘Oh yeah? How?’

  ‘I don’t know. They’ll get complacent if we play along for a bit. And they haven’t worked out how they’re going to feed us, or let us go to the toilet. They’re bound to make a mistake eventually.’

  Aila shook her head, and resumed staring at the damp stone floor.

  ‘Come on,’ said Kelsey; ‘don’t get despondent. Didn’t you once tell me that you’d escaped from house arrest?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, how did you do it?’

  ‘I used my powers to impersonate lots of different people.’

  ‘Oh. Hmm, well, that won’t work this time.’

  ‘Do you think I hadn’t realised that?’

  ‘Don’t get snippy with me; I’m just trying to help.’ The Holdfast woman patted down her pockets, then frowned. ‘No cigarettes. Damn it. I wonder if the guards will get me some. If not, you might be in for a few days of grumpy-Kelsey, so allow me to apologise in advance.’ She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall of the cellar. ‘What do you think’s happening in Yoneath?’