The Heart of Alchemy Page 7

  Chapter 16

  Otto had barely taken a step away from the cabin when a powerful vibration ran through the ether. He knew that feeling all too well. Someone was pounding on one of his rune marks. An instant of mental effort tracked it back to the royal castle. No one there would have used it unless an emergency had come up. Given that Otto had walked into a trap, Wolfric may well have gotten more than he bargained for with his new girlfriend.

  He looked down at Abby, who smiled back at him. It may or may not have been possible to take someone through the ether with him, but either way he had no idea how to go about it.

  “You’re going to have to wait a little longer.” Otto retreated to the cabin, set Abby on the table, and wrapped her in a bubble of ether. That would keep her warm and safe until he returned.

  Becoming one with the ether, he shot back to the castle and appeared in Wolfric’s closet. Instead of the emperor, he found a pale, trembling Commander Borden waiting for him.

  “What happened?”

  “The crazy bitch stabbed him.”

  Otto’s guts twisted. “Is he still alive?”

  “Barely.”

  Otto brushed past Borden and found Wolfric lying on the floor, naked as the day he was born, in a pool of blood. The hilt of a dagger jutted from his chest. Otto focused on the wound. The blade missed his heart by less than an inch, and it had nicked some important blood vessels.

  Tubes of ether formed at his command, sealing the wounds and repairing, for the moment, the damaged veins. Though his heartbeat was still weak, now blood could flow everywhere it needed to rather than leaking on the floor.

  “We need to carry him down to the Chamber,” Otto said. “Carefully. Hopefully its magic will be enough to allow me to heal him.”

  Borden pointed and four guards hurried over to lift Wolfric gently off the floor.

  “What about her?” Borden nodded toward the still-unconscious Jade.

  Otto hadn’t even noticed her limp body lying there, so focused had he been on Wolfric. “Put her in a cell. No one touches her. I need answers and she’s the only one still alive to give them to me.”

  Another pair of guards carried Jade off and Otto and Borden fell in behind the men carrying Wolfric. Otto sent his magic ahead, deactivating the protective spells shielding the Chamber.

  The palace guard must have cleared the halls as they encountered no one as they went.

  “Is he going to live?” Borden asked.

  “That depends. Do we have prisoners?”

  Borden shot him a look then nodded. “Six at the moment, not counting the woman.”

  “Hopefully that will be enough. Have them brought to the Chamber room, bound hand and foot, as quickly as possible.”

  To his credit, Borden didn’t argue. At his command, half a dozen more guards broke off from their group. The dungeon had a separate entrance from the room where he’d housed the Chamber.

  As they slipped through the heavy oak door, one of Wolfric’s bearers shouted, “He’s bleeding again.”

  Otto grimaced. Something must have broken loose on the way down. A thread of ether outlined the Chamber door and made it dissolve. “Put him inside, pull the dagger out, and get clear.”

  “He’ll bleed out,” Borden said.

  “No, he won’t, not if I have anything to say about it.”

  The guards manhandled Wolfric inside the glass cylinder. His limp form slumped against the back wall. It had really been designed for someone to stand in, but it didn’t matter. They forced his legs inside before one of them yanked the dagger out and leapt clear.

  With a thought, Otto sealed the Chamber. Twenty threads arced out into the mithril tripod at the top. Ethereal lightning filled the Chamber with dancing light.

  Fully connected to it now, Otto saw all the damage Wolfric had suffered in minute detail. It was a bloody miracle he was still alive.

  First Otto strengthened Wolfric’s heart and lungs. He still had a little power left so he sent a trickle to the rest of his organs. Ether mingled with blood, enhancing what remained, and allowing it to carry more oxygen than normal. It took everything Otto could spare to keep Wolfric alive. Healing couldn’t begin until the prisoners arrived.

  Wolfric’s body started to spasm as something else broke loose.

  Damn it!

  “Where are those prisoners?”

  “The cells are a fair distance away, Lord Shenk,” Borden said.

  They had no time. If he didn’t start the healing soon, they’d lose Wolfric.

  “Are your men willing to die for their emperor?” Otto asked.

  “Would it matter if they weren’t?”

  “No. I need a volunteer. Pick one that doesn’t have a family. Quickly.”

  “Mader! Step forward. Special duty.”

  A bald man in his late twenties moved away from his comrades. “Sir?”

  “What do you need him to do?” Borden asked.

  “Just stand right where he is.” Otto pierced Mader with five threads then slapped his hands together, linking the guard to the Chamber.

  The magic worked with no direction from Otto. Mader collapsed into a pile of fine dust as his life force was used to repair some of Wolfric’s injuries. It did little, but it was enough to stabilize him again.

  The other guards stared at the dust pile, their eyes wide and their faces pale. What did they think was going to happen? He had asked if they were willing to die.

  Minutes ticked by like hours and Otto’s strength started to wane. Pain built behind his eyes. Ten more minutes at most and he’d have to release the spell keeping Wolfric alive. Much as he needed the emperor, Otto wasn’t remotely willing to die for him.

  Luckily, he didn’t have to. Two minutes later, six prisoners were paraded into the room, shackled hand and foot as ordered.

  Otto didn’t even wait. Threads shot out, pierced them, and he clapped his hands again. One after another the men collapsed into dust. The wounds in Wolfric’s chest closed a little more with each death until the final prisoner was gone along with the emperor’s wounds.

  The lights in the Chamber vanished when Otto released the spell. A minor tweak opened the Chamber and Wolfric staggered out.

  Borden hurried forward and slung his cloak around the naked emperor. Wolfric touched his chest where not even a scar remained.

  He looked at Otto. “You saved me.”

  “Of course. How are you feeling?”

  “Astonished to be alive. In truth, I feel better than I ever have. Like I could take on an entire army by myself.”

  “That’s an aftereffect of the healing process. The feeling will slowly fade over the next hour or so, then you’ll crash, probably sleep for many hours, wake up starving, eat everything in sight, and finally return to something like normal.”

  “And you, my friend? What did my foolishness cost you?”

  Otto swallowed a sigh. This was not the time for recriminations. “Nothing a day or two of rest won’t cure. I do have a request.”

  “Anything,” Wolfric said.

  “Leave Jade alone until I can question her with you. Extracting information from a damaged vessel is far harder than an undamaged one. But do keep her tightly bound. I’d hate for her to bite her tongue off or something before she can answer our questions.”

  “Borden will see to it. What will you do now?” Wolfric asked.

  “I need to muster the strength to retrieve Abby and walk back to the city. Shall we plan to meet up tomorrow for an interrogation?”

  “That’s fine, but what happened to your daughter?”

  “Long story. I’ll tell it to you later.” Otto straightened and became one with the ether.

  When Otto returned to the cabin, he found Abby sound asleep exactly where he left her. The fire had burned down to embers and Ahmed’s corpse lay untouched on the floor, dagger protruding from the top of his skull. He’d send someone to collect the body tomorrow. Just to be sure, he carved a crude rune on the floor and put the minimum a
mount of power into it to make it last a couple days. Be a pain if he had to search every damn cabin in the area.

  That done, he scooped up Abby and set out at a slow trudge toward the distant city lights. Shin-deep snow hampered him until he reached the main road, which had been tracked down by constant merchant traffic. A good thing too, since his legs felt like iron weights. The bitter cold helped him stay focused, though it also stabbed his lungs with every breath.

  He would have liked to warm both the air and his body, but lacked the power. He’d used everything he had getting back and enchanting that rune. If any other assassins remained in the area, they’d have no trouble with him now.

  Happily, his six-hour hike passed without incident. Assuming you didn’t count Abby waking up three hours ago screaming for a meal. He had nothing to feed her and no desire to listen to her screeching. A tiny bit of magic put her right back to sleep. Her still-developing mind yielded even easier than an adult’s. Good to know, since teething should be starting soon. If he wanted to work in peace, being able to put her to sleep at will would be useful.

  The outer gates were opening as he approached and the sun colored the sky behind Garen bright orange. It was a beautiful sight that he would have enjoyed more had he been less exhausted. As it was, putting one foot in front of the other consumed his entire focus. The men stared as he passed, but kindly remained silent.

  The guards manning the gate to Gold Ward recognized him so there was no trouble getting in, though given the blood staining his tunic, they probably thought he murdered someone. They weren’t wrong, though the blood belonged to Wolfric, not Ahmed.

  “Otto!”

  He’d been so focused on the cobblestones that he didn’t even notice Axel until he spoke. His brother marched at the head of ten scouts, all of them armed with mithril and looking ready for a fight.

  “Axel. Coming to rescue me?”

  “It is dawn. Where have you been?”

  “Walking. The cabin was further from the city than I believed and the fight took a lot out of me so I made poor time.” Otto saw no reason to point out Wolfric’s near-death experience, for the moment anyway. “I left the kidnapper’s body behind. Turns out the man was an assassin using Abby to lure me into a trap. If you’d be so kind as to fetch his body for me, along with anything else you find, I’d appreciate it. Perhaps we can figure out who he was and more importantly who hired him.”

  “No problem,” Axel said. “Where do we find the cabin?”

  Otto was pretty sure he could muster the strength to do what he had to and avoid collapsing in the street. “Someone loan me a dagger.”

  Axel offered his own and Otto conjured the ether. He pictured the rune he left behind and imprinted that image on the spell before attaching the whole thing to the dagger. A quick test revealed that the blade glowed when he aimed it at the cabin. Satisfied, Otto returned it to Axel.

  “Bring the body directly to the warehouse. Someone will be there to let you in.”

  Axel favored him with one last look of concern then led his men away.

  Otto resumed his trudge and ten minutes later arrived at the gate to Franken Manor. A pair of very alert guards leapt to open the gate. Both saluted and the senior man said, “Welcome home, my lord.”

  Otto nodded and continued on toward the mansion. He barely made it through the door when Corina tackled him. “I was keeping watch over the grounds and saw you coming. We were so worried.”

  “It was a rough time, but I got her back. Where’s Annamaria?”

  “She cried herself to sleep a few hours ago. Want me to get her?”

  “You’d better. I have a job for you after.” When she left, Otto sent one of the always hovering servants to fetch him pen and paper. He set Abby on the dining room table and slumped in one of the chairs. Finally, he removed the spell that had kept her quiet. He had about twenty minutes before the brat came wailing to consciousness.

  The servant returned with a quill, ink, and parchment. He’d written half the note before footsteps on the stairs broke his concentration.

  He looked up to see Annamaria hurrying his way with Corina trailing along behind.

  “You saved her. Is she hurt?” Annamaria was staring at the blood covering Otto’s tunic.

  “She’s fine. Hungry and smelly, but fine. This is neither hers nor mine. The trip must have exhausted her as she hasn’t made a peep in hours. Why don’t you take her upstairs? Mimi can clean her up, assuming she’s strong enough. I’m headed for bed shortly.”

  Annamaria scooped up Abby, gave Otto one last, long look, and retreated back upstairs.

  Otto dismissed her at once, finished his note, let it dry, folded it over, and handed it to Corina. “Give that to Hans and join him when he goes. I need live prisoners, not bodies.”

  “Don’t worry, Master, we’ll handle everything. You just rest.”

  Otto sighed, but couldn’t argue with her. Right now, he couldn’t defeat a ten-year-old, much less potential assassins equipped with alchemical weapons.

  He needed sleep. And when he woke up, he’d get some answers, one way or another.

  Chapter 17

  Corina practically skipped as she hurried away from the mansion through the city. Her master had finally given her a real mission. Granted Hans would be in charge, but still. It showed he trusted her. She hoped it was a real change and not just desperation brought about by exhaustion.

  When she remembered how he looked when he got home from rescuing the baby, she shuddered. Some of the corpses she’d seen on the battlefield had looked better than he did. But he was alive, not angry—not at her anyway—and that mattered more than anything. Actually, what mattered more than anything was having the prisoners he wanted to talk to in custody.

  All around her the sights and smells of the city coming awake after a long winter night filled the air. After living most of her life in Rolan, going from small community to small community, she still hadn’t fully adapted to life in Garen. Staying focused and alert as she moved down the street took a lot of concentration. An attack might come from any direction.

  Not that she expected an attack, but her master would say that’s when you needed to be especially alert. Either that or always expect an attack. As far as she could tell, that seemed to be his motto.

  Fifteen minutes later she reached the warehouse. The small door was locked so she knocked. It opened at once and she found herself nose to nose with Hans. He looked nearly as tired as Lord Shenk.

  “Is he back?” Hans asked.

  Corina nodded. “Half an hour ago. Not a mark on him, though from the amount of blood on his tunic, someone had a rough night. He has a job for us. Are you game? You look all in.”

  “I’m fine. It’ll take more than one sleepless night to put me out of action. What’s the mission?”

  Corina handed him the note and Hans unfolded it. She shifted around to read over his shoulder. He wanted them to hold a nobleman named St. Croy for questioning along with everyone on his staff. Apparently Sin knew where to find his villa in Gold Ward.

  Corina frowned. Why would her master have taken the admittedly beautiful thief instead of her?

  “I’ll wake the men,” Hans said. “You find Sin.”

  Corina set aside her speculation and focused on the matter at hand. Whyever he did it, she was certain he had a good reason. Now, where would she find Sin? It wasn’t like the thief lived at the warehouse with the guys.

  She snapped her fingers. Ulf would know and he did live here.

  Corina ran around his workbench and found the man wrapped up in a heavy blanket and sound asleep on a thick mat. He looked so peaceful she hated to wake him, but her master would be most displeased at any avoidable delay.

  A light touch brought Ulf instantly awake, his eyes wide and terrified. “Are they here?”

  “Relax, it’s just me.” He calmed at once and actually seemed a bit embarrassed. Corina pretended to notice nothing out of the ordinary. “Where’s Sin? My master h
as a job for her.”

  “I see. Forgive my outburst. She’s made herself up a spot in the tunnels nearby. Though whether she’s there or not I can’t say. One moment.”

  He walked to the hatch that gave access to the thieves’ tunnels and yanked on a rope running through a hole in the wood. A faint ring barely reached them.

  A few seconds later he yanked twice more.

  This time there was some noise and shortly after that the hatch swung open. A rumpled and grumpy Sin poked her head out of the opening. She wore only a red tunic that left most of her legs bare, once again reminding Corina just how much developing she had to do.

  Sin looked from Corina to Ulf and back. “What?”

  “Lord Shenk has a job for us,” Corina said. “He said you could lead us to the villa of Baron St. Croy.”

  “So he decided to move on the baron. Can’t say I’m surprised. I knew there was something strange happening at that place. Let me get dressed and I’ll be right there.”

  Ten minutes later, Sin was leading them across the city back toward Gold Ward. As they quick marched down the street, Hans asked, “What sort of defenses are we looking at?”

  “None that I’m aware of,” Sin said. “The baron had a handful of servants, his niece, and himself. I’d know if he hired any mercenaries. He might try to run, but a fight seems doubtful.”

  “That’s good,” Corina said. “Master wants to question him.”

  “If Lord Shenk wants to question him,” Sin said. “I doubt it will be good for the baron.”

  No one could argue with that and they made the rest of the walk in silence.

  When they reached the villa, the door was wide open.

  Hans motioned for everyone to stop before easing up to the door. Corina held her breath while he listened. At last he waved them up.

  “Sin, Corina and I will go in the front,” Hans said. “Cord, take the rest of the men and watch the back.”

  Cord nodded and the four of them hurried around out of sight. When half a minute had passed Hans said, “Let’s go.”