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  All of the patients were painfully thin, but there were no obvious wounds or any missing limbs.

  “Everyone here is tired and hungry,” said Kai. “They’re scared and not getting enough sleep. They need food, plenty of exercise and sunlight, but most of them are too frightened to go up to the courtyard, never mind set foot on the wall. Some of them only take up arms at night because Alyssa asks them to. If it wasn’t for her they’d all hide down here, waiting to be slaughtered.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “They’re broken people,” said Kai, shaking his head. “Their spirits have been shattered. We brought food and medicine, but that won’t help them.”

  “Then it’s a good thing we brought priests,” said Balfruss.

  Kai raised one eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

  Balfruss stared at him. “Because faith might help restore them.”

  “Of course,” said Kai, laughing and then gesturing at the wine bottle by way of an excuse. “Of course.”

  Kai tottered off before Balfruss could ask him anything further. He noticed one or two of the other priests glanced at Kai, or more particularly his wine, but they said nothing.

  A strange feeling prickled the edges of Balfruss’s perception. Closing his eyes he reached out with his senses until they passed through the walls into the ground. Sinking deeper he tried to trace the peculiarity but it wasn’t until he’d been searching for a few minutes that he realised what was wrong. This deep underground, the earth should have been teeming with life, even if it was just small insects, but beyond the brick chamber the earth beneath his feet was dead. There was nothing at all. Not even the faintest whisper or pulse of life. Something had drained every drop, leaving behind barren and infertile soil.

  Balfruss made his way back to the surface and then up the stairs onto the wall. He stood beside Zannah and reached out across the city with his senses. There was only more of the same. A total absence of life in all directions. Not one rat or insect crawled through the rubble. He could sense the other camps, but in his mind’s eye they appeared as tiny oases in a lifeless desert.

  As he came back to himself, Balfruss sensed something unusual about the Morrin beside him. There was a peculiar imbalance compared to everyone else in the camp, even the sick and injured. He briefly touched her with his magic, then quickly withdrew in surprise.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, scanning the street for trouble. He explained what he’d found in the earth, mostly to buy time as he double-checked what he’d discovered about her.

  “It’s whatever has poisoned the people in this city,” said Zannah. “First it twisted them and they became Forsaken, then it continued feeding, taking everything from the land. Alyssa tells me there are birds, fish and insects outside the city walls, but there is nothing here. Not one stray dog or a rat. Not even a cockroach.”

  “I discovered something else by accident,” said Balfruss, choosing his words carefully. The few people on the wall had moved some distance away from the Morrin, but nevertheless he lowered his voice. “Something about you.”

  Zannah stared at him for a long time before replying. “What do you know?”

  There were so many layers to her question. He wondered how much she blamed herself for what had happened to the people in Voechenka and Shael. Her question suggested she was carrying many secrets around.

  “I meant about your people and magic,” said Balfruss. Zannah’s whole posture changed again. Her right hand dropped to her sword and he saw her balance shift until she was poised to attack. “I know why there’s never been a Morrin mage and why no Morrin child has ever come to the Red Tower.”

  “How?” she asked.

  Balfruss shrugged. It was a long story and she didn’t need to know all of the details. “You’re a Vessel, aren’t you?”

  Zannah took a few deep breaths before slowly easing her hand away from her sword. “No one outside my people knows what that means, let alone truly understands it. If any Morrin heard you say it, they would try to kill you, just for knowing such a thing.”

  “But not you,” said Balfruss, hoping that she wasn’t about to attack him.

  “There would be little point in trying. I believe you could easily stop me with your magic,” said Zannah. “Besides, even if you told someone, it wouldn’t matter. No one is getting out of here alive. It makes little difference that you know.”

  “Will you answer a question about being a Vessel?”

  “Ask,” said Zannah.

  “How old are you?”

  Zannah grunted and turned away to stare out across the city. “Sixty-three years old.”

  “Your people can live to be four hundred. How much time do you have left?”

  Zannah didn’t hesitate. “Two months, maybe three.”

  No Morrin child ever developed the ability to sense the Source because all Morrin were inherently connected to it. Almost every other race developed the ability during childhood to channel a small portion of the Source. The Morrins’ connection meant they naturally healed faster and lived up to four times longer than everyone else. They were continually being sustained by its infinite power. However, there were a few Morrin who not only understood the principle, but were able to manipulate it. Known as Vessels, these Morrin could heal themselves from what would normally be fatal wounds, but in return it cost them years of their life. Borrowing time from their own future to sustain them in the present.

  It was just as he had feared. Judging by how little energy was left within her, Balfruss guessed Zannah had been continually borrowing from her reserve to save the lives of others.

  “How many times have you nearly died for these people?” he asked.

  “Twenty-seven,” said Zannah.

  “Is it enough?”

  Zannah shook her head. “It will never be enough.”

  “If you want, I can try to restore you,” said Balfruss. Zannah’s eyes widened and she stared at him in amazement. “If it works you won’t be tired and sluggish any more. You fought well last night, but even I could see your fatigue. When was the last time you had a real night’s sleep?”

  “I don’t remember,” said Zannah. “I’m up all night, sleep for a few hours after dawn and then come back to the wall.”

  She had been pushing herself harder and longer than anyone else to protect people who would see her dead. They cared nothing for her and yet without Zannah to look after them they would all have died weeks, perhaps months ago. She had been sacrificing herself for them over and over and they didn’t even know it.

  “They must never know,” said Zannah as he took her left hand in both of his.

  Reaching out Balfruss embraced the Source and then sank into it while maintaining his link to Zannah. He felt her tremble only once and then she held perfectly still. The muscles in her hands and arms tensed up and he could hear her breathing getting louder and louder. Her pulse began to race but it was already nearly over. Acting as nothing more than a conduit for the Source, a river of power flowed through him into the Morrin. It was so simple, like pouring water into an empty cup, and required little effort on his part. It made Balfruss wonder about healing in general and if such a technique would work on anyone besides a Morrin.

  After a few seconds it was over.

  Balfruss opened his eyes and stared at Zannah. He gently let go of her hand and immediately noticed a few visible changes. Her shoulders and back were straight instead of being permanently slumped. The dark purple smudges beneath her eyes were gone, but for some reason her hair still remained mostly white with a few black streaks. The skin on her arms was tight and the muscles beneath firm and lean. Her whole body had regained its youth and now Zannah had many years ahead of her again.

  She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and smiled. It was a remarkable thing, beautiful and rare for the Morrin, especially in this place. All too quickly it faded as Zannah turned back towards the city and her terrible burden.

  CHAPTER 13

  After the fi
rst night in the camp Tammy managed a few hours’ sleep, but kept waking up, which left her tired and grumpy in the morning. The first time she woke it was still dark and the rest of the building was completely silent. It took her a few seconds to work out where she was before she let go of her sword and started to breathe more easily. When she woke for the sixth time the first hints of light told her dawn wasn’t far away.

  Zannah was still on the wall keeping watch but everyone else had gone to get some sleep. She and the Morrin watched the sunrise together in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Yerskania and her life as a Guardian seemed as if it belonged to another person.

  An hour later Alyssa emerged, juggling three bowls of porridge sprinkled with nuts. She passed them out and Tammy noticed the surprised look on Zannah’s face after her first mouthful.

  “Honey?” she asked.

  “We brought a few jars,” said Tammy. “Does this mean we can stay?” she asked, gesturing at the bowl.

  “It does,” said Alyssa. “I think you genuinely want to help.”

  “We’ve travelled a long way to turn back now.”

  “I’m going on a supply run,” said Alyssa as she finished off the last of her porridge, scraping the bowl with her spoon.

  “I’d like to come with you,” said Tammy.

  “If I said I didn’t need your protection, would it make a difference?”

  “I’m not going to protect you. I need a guide.”

  “Let me get my pack and we’ll go,” said Alyssa, collecting up the empty bowls. When Alyssa had disappeared inside Zannah turned towards Tammy.

  “Keep an eye on her. She trusts people too easily, and always tries to see the good in them.”

  “What about you?” asked Tammy.

  Zannah’s smile held no warmth and showed off her slightly pointed teeth. “I see the world as it is, not as it should be. In this place, all of the good has been scrubbed away. All that remains are base needs. People want what others have and they will do anything to get it. One day, someone will use Alyssa’s heart against her.”

  Alyssa brought up the knotted rope attached to the cart and threw it over the wall.

  “Were you a painter?” asked Zannah.

  Alyssa shook her head. “No, but I did work with a few.”

  The Morrin grunted and braced the rope with both arms to stop it swaying. Alyssa scampered down with ease, leaving Tammy with no time to reconsider leaving her armour behind. Using both arms and legs she clambered down to the street.

  “Tell me about Voechenka,” said Tammy as they set off from the shelter.

  “What would you like to know?” said Alyssa. Tammy could see she was pretending that being outside the shelter didn’t bother her, but Alyssa’s eyes continually scanned the streets. Tammy did the same, looking for any trouble while also taking in the layout of the city.

  “When did you notice people were going missing?”

  “A few months after the war ended. That first winter was agonising. We’d survived the camps only for many of my people to starve to death because food was scarce. That was when we started burning anything we could find to stay warm. When people disappeared we assumed they’d died from starvation or frozen to death. But then they started to come back at night.”

  They walked down a narrow street and then across a broad square framed by once-grand buildings. One of them had been shattered, as if something had collided with the front wall. Tammy noticed Alyssa gave that building a wide berth. Looking at the sky and the position of the sun she noticed they were travelling west.

  “Was there any pattern to who was taken or when?”

  “No. People were vanishing from all over the city.”

  Tammy glanced to the east, but there was nothing to see, just shattered buildings and the remnants of a once-great city.

  “What’s in the east of the city?”

  Alyssa scrambled over a large pile of rubble and hopped down the other side before answering. “Nothing, just more of the same, and then the lake.”

  “Is the water clean?”

  “Yes, but few people risk trying to fish,” said Alyssa. “Something in the water has been attacking boats.”

  Tammy stopped dead in the street and Alyssa slowed ahead of her. “What do you mean?”

  Alyssa shook her head and kept her back facing Tammy. “In the other camps the mercenaries make people earn their place or they throw them out. Sometimes they send them out to fish. A few make it back but some won’t risk the water so they come to us for shelter. One or two go out onto the water and are never seen again.”

  Tammy made a mental note to look into that area of the city first.

  They walked in silence for a few minutes before Alyssa slowed again.

  “Up ahead is one of the mercenary camps,” she explained. “They’re crude and loud, but harmless.”

  Tammy raised an eyebrow but said nothing. It sounded like Alyssa was defending them, which seemed peculiar given what she’d just said about them forcing people to fish. Zannah was right. Alyssa’s worst enemy was herself.

  A few minutes later they came to a wide street with fewer buildings remaining intact compared to what they’d seen so far. A hint of smoke and ash tickled her nose and the dust in the street had been churned by many feet. As they came abreast of what she guessed was the mercenary camp, Tammy noticed signs of recent damage. The front door had been dented in several places and it looked slightly askew in its frame. Barred windows on the ground floor had been broken and she could see ash around all of them. The smell of old smoke was much thicker here and there were splashes of dried blood on the street. A battered wooden sign hung outside, its surface black and charred, but Tammy could just make out the word ‘Bank’ on one side.

  “Hello?” called Alyssa. “Anyone there?”

  Two scruffy and soot-daubed faces appeared near the roof, peering down into the street. “What are you doing here, girl?” said one of them, a bearded man dressed in a mail shirt.

  “What happened?” asked Alyssa, gesturing at the building.

  The mercenary sniffed and ran a hand across his beard, smearing the ash. “They tried to break down the door, and when that failed they tried to smoke us out. They lit fires downstairs before we noticed.”

  “Did they get inside?” asked Alyssa.

  “No, but they took a few people,” said the mercenary.

  “Less mouths to feed,” said the other man, trying to make light of it but failing. His friend didn’t look amused and his eyes kept wandering to the stains on the street.

  “Be careful, girl,” said the mercenary. “Something has got them fired up. I’ve never seen them so determined.”

  “Blessed Mother watch over you,” said Alyssa. Tammy expected the mercenary to jeer or mock her blessing, but he just nodded and stared grimly at the street.

  As they walked away from the camp heading steadily west Tammy rested a hand on her dagger. She felt as if they were being watched but with so many gaping doorways there was a multitude of hiding places. All she could do was keep moving, scan the street and hold herself in readiness.

  “Do you know where the other camps are?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you give me directions?” asked Tammy.

  “Yes, but why do you want to visit them?”

  “I need to find out what they know. You said there wasn’t a pattern when people went missing, but maybe there was.”

  “How will that help?” snapped Alyssa. An angry retort was on Tammy’s tongue but she took a deep breath to calm herself down. Alyssa was under an enormous amount of pressure and had been living in horrific conditions for months. The fact that her humanity, and her faith, remained intact despite everything she’d experienced was miraculous. A short temper now and again could be easily forgiven.

  “The Forsaken. Why are they taking people? What do they need them for? Why do they take away the dead bodies? We know that once they’re decapitated they can’t be brought back, so why take them
?”

  “I don’t know,” admitted Alyssa.

  “Someone or something is doing this for a reason. It has a goal and it needs people, we just don’t know why. The other camps may know something. They can also tell me how often they’re being attacked and when. It’s all pieces of a larger puzzle.”

  Alyssa smiled and some of her good humour returned. “Even without a uniform, it’s easy to tell that you’re a Guardian.”

  At the end of the street was a stone archway that they passed through without any trouble. A short walk took them into the hills and Tammy felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She breathed more easily and the permanent itch between her shoulder blades disappeared. No one was watching them here. At a leisurely pace they checked traps and wandered beneath the trees or sat beside the brook.

  Tammy heard something peculiar and it took her a few seconds to identify the source. A small yellow and blue bird flitted between the branches above their heads. Its song was mellifluous and like none she’d heard before. It was also the first animal she’d seen since entering Voechenka. The air seemed alive with noise from the sighing of tree branches to the babbling of the brook over stones. A dozen other sounds all around her spoke of life. It was so different from inside the shattered city, where there was only silence. Despite the looming presence of the cliffs in the distance Tammy felt incredibly relaxed in the woods.

  “It’s difficult every time I go back,” said Alyssa. “Getting used to the silence again.”

  “Why did you stay in Voechenka after the war?” asked Tammy.

  Alyssa’s answer was simple and yet all too familiar. “It’s my home.”

  It was one of the reasons Tammy had stayed in Perizzi after her husband was killed. It was all she knew. She had family there but barely saw them, and each time she did it only caused her terrible heartache for weeks. Being a Guardian was the driving force of her life. She needed to make sense of things and find answers in a world rife with chaos and disorder.