The Grave thief

Without warning a voice spoke into his mind. 'They're coming.' 'Aracnan?' he thought after a moment of confusion. The only being to speak to him like that in the past had been Azaer and that had not happened since the fall of Scree. 'What about the storm on the mountain?'

'They ignore it. The floods do not come with every storm, only once or twice each season, but 1 have done what I can to draw more power to the clouds. Kiyer of the Deluge is coming, but not before the penitents; look to your left.'

Ilumene did as he was told. For a moment he saw nothing, then a jerking movement caught his eye. On the roof of a building attached to the inside of the wall he saw a small hunched shape, no bigger than a child. It was difficult to make it out clearly for the colours of its body seemed to shift, adopting the lichen-spotted hues of the wall behind.

The creature seemed to feel his gaze upon it and turned its head towards him. The curious shape to its body was suddenly revealed as a dozen sets of tiny wings down the length of its back and arms started flapping. The pattern-less flutter increased in speed until the creature's body was almost completely hidden by a blur, whereupon the flapping stopped abruptly, leaving nothing behind. Ilumene blinked in surprise. It had gone — not flown away but disappeared.

'An Aspect? They called an Aspect to incarnate here and probe our defences?'

'Exactly so,' Aracnan replied. 'Your mages are on edge, they reveal themselves by their raised defences. The priests now know how many you have, and they will not fear marching on you.'

'But the deluge will cut off their escape,' Ilumene said out loud, a cruel grin appearing on his face. 'Hard luck for them. Go and watch over the master until it is time to act.' He wiped the smirk from his lips and looked over at Major Feilin, who acknowledged him and trotted over.

'Sergeant Kayel?' Feilin was a decent soldier, if lacking somewhat in personal bravery. He walked with a slight limp, Ilumene had noted with satisfaction. Feilin might have been in charge of the compound's defence, but Ilumene made it clear who was top dog two days before. Feilin gave the orders still — once Ilumene decided what they were to be. His approach might not have worked on a nobleman who had arrogance and pride to contend with, but everyone in the Ruby Tower knew Major Feilin had been born to a cook and had lived his whole life in service here. The man had seen enough bullies in his life to know when he had no chance; Ilumene hadn't needed to push matters.

'Major,' he said, saluting for the benefit of anyone watching, 'everything in place?'

'They are, but I'm far from happy about leaving the compound open to attack — it's a big risk to take.'

Ilumene had suggested the gates be left open and a fair number of the men sent out into the city. Kiyer's flood notwithstanding, Ilumene didn't want the people to feel abandoned by their secular rulers. Over the years the city's streets had been built so floodwater could be safely diverted away. He was confident the battle would follow Azaer's script and be short-lived. What was far more import' ant was the perception people in Breakale, Wheel and Burn would have of this day — in preparation for the day they were forced to choose sides.

'What if they slaughter the garrison?' the major asked.

'They won't,' Ilumene said confidently. He looked around at the figures on the wall and congregated in the compound's yard. He'd dressed every suitable servant in uniform and set some to manning the walls while the rest were ordered to wander around looking aimless while the main complement of Ruby Tower Guards were hidden away or disguised as servants, with their weapons well hidden.

'They'll want to see the duchess's body before they do anything else. Go out there and meet them under a flag of truce and have the guards surrender. The mercenaries they've employed will still be thinking clearly, even if the priests can't, so they will be wary. We keep clear of the gates and don't try to shut them.' He pointed towards the largest group of real soldiers. 'Move them to the other side of the compound, away from the gates.'

'But if we let them all into the compound we'll be outnumbered,' Feilin pointed out, still looking unhappy. 'Surely that's why we're trying this ruse in the first place?' Like many of his fellow soldiers of Litse blood, he had pale skin and fair hair, which made him look ashen in his deep crimson uniform.

'If you don't move them, it'll be too obvious that we're ready for them — unless you've got a company of white-eyes I don't know about?' Ilumene's sharp tone was enough to provoke a look of slight fear on Feilin's face. He shifted uncomfortably, as though the bruises he still bore had started to ache again.

'No, of course not.'

'Then we give them somewhere to retreat to. The gate's a bottleneck — and we might even get lucky with the fioodwater.'

At the mention of Kiyer's Deluge Feilin glanced nervously at the cliffs looming large behind the Ruby Tower. The thunder had abated, but the clouds above Blackfang were darker than ever.

'I think they'll stay and fight.'

'Fine by me. They'll be met on three sides in that case.'

'What about the mages? Surely they'll have far more than we do?'

Ilumene nodded; Major Feilin had made a good point — under any normal circumstances. They might not have anyone to rival Mage Peness, but with the assembled mages of every cult in Byora to call on they had the weight of numbers on their side.

'Peness, Jelil and Bissen won't be able to fight them all, no,' he agreed.

'So what is your plan?'

'My plan, sir?' Ilumene said with a wolfish look. 'Oh no, not my plan, yours. I have just taken the liberty of anticipating your orders. The three mages are positioned in one of the eastern rooms in the tower. Most battle-mages need to be able to see their enemy to do anything really nasty.'

'So what use are they going to be on the wrong side of the tower?' the major asked, bemused, still trying desperately to understand what his subordinate had in mind.

'They're going to be cowering; far enough away that the priests won't have any reason to suspect a trap.' Ilumene turned and pointed at the tower. It was an enormous building, not as tall as the Tower of Semar in Tirah, but far wider. The tower was hexagonal in shape and built in steps, the lowest being the size of a palace itself, with walls thicker than those of most castles, to support the weight of the tower above. 'The Duchess Chamber,' he said. 'I heard it was changed, years back.'

'The last duke remodelled it, what, twenty years ago, perhaps?' Feilin said, still completely mystified.

'He put in all those pillars and a hallway, so the main entrance didn't lead straight in?'

'Yes, but so what?'

'So all that work's not structural,' Ilumene said. 'We can bring it down — and the rest of the tower will still stand.'

'But-' Feilin began before cutting himself off. 'Merciful Gods!'

'Hah, they ain't showing much mercy these days, so I reckon we should return the favour,' Ilumene said with feeling. 'They'll have dozens of priests, all with only weak magic; an Aspect-Guide ain't as good as a mage's daemon. Maybe someone like Mage Peness has the strength and speed to do something about a roof falling in on him, but none of them will.'

'And they'll be confident Peness won't oppose them,' said Feilin softly.

'Aye, before they even walk through those gates they'll know whether we can match that strength or not. When they realise we can't, they'll relax. Priests ain't got a soldier's instincts; their penitents won't be able to stop them in time.'

Natai blinked, suddenly awakening, and looked around. Two anxious faces stared back, the dark-haired Lady Kinna and Jeto, Natai's steward. From the look on their faces she'd been out of it for longer than she'd realised — Jeto could be as fussy as a dowager duchess at times, but Kinna was as ambitious and heartless as any Litse noblewoman.