‘Six,’ Ferius said. She glanced down at the squirrel cat. ‘How many did he say?’
The next few seconds of running were punctuated by Ferius and Reichis arguing over who had the better hearing. It would have been less annoying if they didn’t need me to translate. For my part, I didn’t care who was right, but since I had no idea how well squirrel cats could count, I went with the higher number.
We hit another intersection, the narrowing tunnels splitting off in three separate directions, each equally dark, dank and menacing. Which way out?’ I asked.
Ferius peered each way, eyes narrowed as she tried to fight off the dizziness from the drugs. ‘About thirty yards straight ahead and then we turn right,’ she said.
Reichis ran ahead then turned back. ‘Can’t go this way,’ he said, and raced back past us.
Over the next few terrifying minutes we fell into a pattern, making turns or doubling back every time we heard the men in masks getting too close. Ferius would figure out the most likely path and Reichis would scout ahead, checking to see if it led out of the mine or into more danger.
The problem was, however good Ferius’s guesses were, she’d only been in these tunnels once, and the men in masks knew them a lot better than we did. Every time we thought we were getting close to the exit, they managed to cut us off and we were forced to turn again.
‘They’re herding us deeper into the mine,’ Reichis grumbled.
‘Yeah,’ Ferius agreed, once I translated. ‘Reckon that’s the point.’
With no other options, we just kept moving. I had to stop more frequently now, kneeling down to rest Shalla on my thighs to give my arms a moment’s rest. I tried to wake her up, hoping she could run on her own, but the veins of ore in the tunnel walls that were making me feel sick must have been infinitely worse for someone with Shalla’s magical ability.
We were slowing down, and our pursuers knew it. The echoes of their footsteps were accompanied by laughter. The hyenas had almost run down their prey.
‘You go, kid,’ Ferius said, leaning against the wall. ‘Me and the squirrel cat will slow them down while you—’
‘I’m not leaving you here!’
‘And when did I volunteer to die down here just so two lousy humans could live?’ chittered Reichis.
‘As it turns out,’ a voice called from the tunnel behind us, ‘no one is leaving here.’
Without a word, Ferius and I lifted Shalla from the floor, each taking one arm across our shoulders as we half ran, half stumbled down the passageway, driven by nothing more than panic and a last burst of strength.
The sounds of pursuit followed, but they slowed, becoming almost leisurely. We reached the end of the tunnel and hit a dead end.
‘Sha’Tep miners have to spend most of their lives learning these tunnels,’ the voice called out, closer than he’d been before. ‘One wrong turn and you fall into a sinkhole, or wind up lost in the miles of empty passages. You could die in a cave-in and your corpse would rot for years before anyone discovered it. Do you even have any idea how lost you are right now?’
We turned and saw six figures in black lacquer masks coming towards us, each one unique, with its own horrible features. The one in front bore twin curved horns, one red, one black. He’d been the leader of the three who’d attacked us in the forest.
‘I’m sorry it’s come to this, Kellen,’ he said, the mask muffling his words even as the reverberations along the cave walls lent them a frightening, other-worldly quality. Even with all of that, I wondered why I hadn’t recognised his voice before.
As gently as I could, I took Shalla’s other arm from Ferius and set her down on the cavern floor. When I rose again, I balled my hands into fists and turned to face the leader of the Sha’Tep conspiracy. ‘Hello, Uncle Abydos,’ I replied.
THE FOURTH TRIAL
The most powerful magics are those kept most secret. A Jan’Tep mage must be able to uncover hidden lore, but equally he must be able to discover the secrets of his enemies. Only then has he truly earned his mage’s name.
36
The Traitor
‘I should have known it would be you who figured it out,’ Abydos said. He removed his mask and handed it to one of his men. ‘You always were smarter than your parents or your teachers gave you credit for.’
I’m also good at bluffing, Uncle. I relaxed my hands and held them out in front of me, my fingers taking the shape of a particularly nasty ember spell. ‘I’d rather not set your intestines on fire, since we’re related, so you’d better stay back.’
All things considered, I sounded remarkably calm and confident. I think I might be getting better at this lying-all-the-time thing.
Several of the men in masks laughed. One of them pointed at me. ‘Look there, the little mage thinks he’s going to use spells on us! Here, in the mines!’
Abydos spoke more gently. ‘Jan’Tep magic is much harder to work down here, Kellen, that’s why your sister is faring so poorly.’
I whispered to Ferius. ‘Don’t suppose you have your razor-sharp steel cards?’
She shook her head. ‘They took my waistcoat when they captured me.’ She shouted down the tunnel at them. ‘Along with my damned smoking reeds!’
Tusks came barrelling towards us. ‘That’s not all we’ll take, you lousy Argosi—’
My uncle put a restraining hand on his shoulder. ‘Stop. I told you before, this woman saved my nephew’s life. Let’s have no more violence than is absolutely necessary.’
I felt the impulse to explain that he’d already done plenty of harm, but Ferius took a step forward, fists up as if she meant to challenge them all. ‘Well, I hate to disappoint you, but unless you and your little masked theatre group let us pass, I predict there’s going to be a whole lot of violence in the near future for you.’
Abydos ignored her, walking towards us, eyes on me. Reichis clambered up my back to sit on my shoulder. His growl sounded surprisingly loud in the cramped tunnel. ‘Just give me the word, kid, and I’ll rip this one’s face off and make my own mask with it.’
I decided to translate for my uncle. He didn’t seem nearly as scared as I would’ve hoped. He just stood right in front of me and said, ‘Don’t do this, Kellen. We’re not your enemies. We’re your people, your true family.’
‘You kidnapped my sister and attacked my friend. I’d say that makes us enemies.’
One of the other men drew his knife. ‘Stop wasting time. We can’t take a chance on—’
‘Be quiet,’ Abydos said, and for the first time in my life I heard my father’s commanding tone coming from my uncle’s lips. ‘Listen carefully, Kellen. You and the others are going to come with us now. You can carry Shalla if you like, or my men will carry her for you.’
‘You’re not touching my sister ever again.’