It doesnt have its fleet, Thanos pointed out. I persuaded most of them to help Delos.
He felt a wave of guilt over that. If he hadnt talked Akila into helping, a lot of good people wouldnt be dead, and Haylon would have the means to defend itself. His friend wouldnt be lying wounded on the deck of their boat, waiting for assistance.
We chose to come, Akila managed from where he lay.
And if they dont have a fleet, its all the more reason to try to help them, Ceres said. All of you, think, its the only friendly place nearby. It held off the Empire when it was strong enough that Felldust didnt dare to attack. It needs our help. So does Akila. Were going to Haylon.
Thanos couldnt argue with any of that. More than that, he could see the others coming around to it. Ceres had always had the ability to do that. It had been her name, not his, that had brought the Bone Folk. It had been she who had been able to persuade Lord Wests men, and the rebellion. She impressed him more and more every time she did it.
It was enough that Thanos would follow wherever she wanted to go, to Haylon or beyond. He could put the attempt to find his parentage on hold for now. Ceres was what mattered; Ceres, and dealing with the damage that Felldust would do if they spread out beyond Delos. Hed heard it on the docks in Port Leyward: this wasnt going to be a quick raid.
Theres a problem if we want to go to Haylon, Sartes pointed out. To get there, we would have to go through Felldusts fleet. Thats the direction they were coming from, right? And I dont think theyre all sitting in Deloss harbor.
They arent, Thanos agreed, thinking back to what hed seen in Felldust. There had been whole flotillas of ships that hadnt set off for the Empire yet; the ships of the other Stones had sat waiting to see what would happen, or been there gathering supplies so that they could join in the process of raiding.
They would be a real threat if their small boat tried to sail to Haylon by the direct route. It would simply be a matter of luck whether they met with foes on the way, and Thanos wasnt sure whether Ceres would be able to pull off her disappearing trick for them again.
Well have to go around, he said. We skirt the coast until were well clear of any route they might take, then come around to Haylon from its far side.
He could see that the others werent happy about that thought, and Thanos guessed that it wasnt just because of the extra time involved. He knew what that route meant.
Jeva was the one to say it.
Taking that route would bring us through the Passage of Monsters, she said. It might be better to take our chances with Felldust.
Thanos shook his head. Theyll hunt us down if they see us. At least this way, we have a chance of going undetected.
We have a chance of getting eaten too, the Bone Folk woman pointed out.
Thanos shrugged. There were no better options that he could see. There was no time to go anywhere else, and no better way through. They could risk this, or sit there until Akila died, and Thanos wouldnt abandon his friend like that.
Ceres seemed to feel the same way.
The Passage of Monsters it is. Lets get the sail up!
CHAPTER FIVE
Ulren, the Second Stone, approached the five-sided tower with the calm determination of a man who had plotted everything that might happen next. Around him, the dust of the city swirled in its usual endless dance, making him want to cough or cover his mouth. Ulren did neither. This was a moment to appear strong.
There were guards on the doors, as there always were. Ostensibly paid by all five Stones, but Irriens men in truth. That was why they crossed their pikes in challenge, a small reminder to any lesser Stone of their place.
Who goes? one called.
Ulren smiled at that. The new First Stone of Felldust.
He had a moment to see the shock in their eyes before his men stepped from the dust, raising their crossbows. He did not have the sheer weight of arms that Irrien did or the cunning spies of Vexa, the wealth of Kas or the noble friends of Borion, but he had enough of each, and now, finally, he had the boldness to use them.
He enjoyed the sight of crossbow bolts feathering the guards chests after theyd held him back so many times. It was petty, but this was a moment to give in to pettiness. This was the moment when he got to do everything hed ever wanted.
He opened the door with his key, stepping inside into the light of the tower. What did it say about the city that the lamp smokefilled air inside was still better than that outdoors? Still, even that seemed sweet today.
Be swift, he said to the men and women who followed. Strike quickly.
They spread out, the gleam of their weapons dulled with lamp black. When guards came from one of the corridors, they leapt forward in silence, striking out. Ulren didnt stop to watch the blood and the death. Right then, none of that mattered.
He set off up the seemingly endless flights of stairs that led to the top chamber. Hed done this so many times now, and each time, it had been in the expectation that he would be there as a lesser thing, second or third or less in a city where the First of Five was the one place that mattered.
That was the cruel joke of the city, in Ulrens eyes. Everyone fighting to be on top, five working in concert, but everyone knew that the First Stone was the strongest. Ulren had been plotting to be First for so long that he couldnt remember a time when hed wanted anything else.
Hed been cautious, even though this should always have been his. Hed built his power, starting with the lands of his family but adding to them, tending his resources the way a gardener might have tended a plant. Hed been so patient, so very patient. Hed worked himself to the very edge of taking the First Stones seat.
Then Irrien had come along, and hed had to be patient again.
Around Ulren, the killings continued as he climbed. Servants in the First Stones colors died, cut down by his men. No hesitation, no remorse. Felldust was a land where even an innocent-looking slave might hold a dagger, hoping to advance.
A soldier charged from the shadows, and Ulren grappled with him, looking for leverage.
The man was strong, although maybe that was simply age weighing against him. Ulren found that his body ached now when hed been in the training ring in his home, and the slave girls whod once come to him quite willingly now had to hide their looks of disgust and dismay. There were days when he walked into rooms and could barely remember why hed bothered.
But hed lost none of his cunning. He turned with the force of the other mans rush, hooking his foot behind his attackers leg and pushing with what strength he had. The soldier stumbled, and then tumbled, going head over heels down the spiral stairs that led up the five-sided tower. Ulren left him for his warriors to finish. It was enough that he hadnt seemed weak.
Everything is in place in the rest of the city? he asked Travlen, the priest who had given up his order to walk beside him.
Yes, my lord. Your warriors are hitting those of Irriens people who remain in the city even as we speak. A number of his business enterprises have offered to come over to your side, while in those that havent, Im told the slaughter has been enough to please the gods themselves.
Ulren nodded. Thats good. Accept any who wish to join us, then see who can replace the ones who run them. I have no time for traitors.