hidden dagger from her boot.
He would tell her who he really was, or he would regret it.
Alastair snarled, and the world dissolved into silver light.
###
"You found her," said a man's voice, deep and rough with a thick Caerish accent. "Gods of the Legion, I cannot believe it. You found her!"
Caina turned.
She was disguised as a man, wearing the leather armor and rough trousers of a common caravan guard, and she was standing outside a worn brick warehouse in the docks of Malarae, its doors ripped open. Hundreds of rag-clad children ran out of the warehouse, laughing and weeping as they sprinted to their mothers. The children still bore the marks of chains upon their wrists and the cruel welts of whips upon their backs.
Slaves.
And Caina had freed them all.
"You actually found them," said the man's voice again.
Caina tore her gaze away from the laughing children and looked at the man. He was about forty, built like a boulder, his balding hair close-cropped. He had hard gray eyes, and wore chain mail and a sheathed broadsword at his belt.
And he looked happy, happier than she had ever seen him.
"Ark," said Caina.
Ark grinned. "Tanya!"
His wife Tanya and infant son Nicolai had been taken prisoner by slave traders five years past, and the slavers’ ship had vanished. Ark had joined the Ghosts to find them, and had spent every waking moment since looking for them.
And now Tanya ran to him.
She looked a great deal like Caina, with long black hair and blue eyes, though she was taller and not quite so lean. She threw herself into Ark's arms, weeping.
"Thank you," whispered Tanya, staring at Caina over Ark's shoulder. "Oh, gods, thank you. I never thought I would be free again. But you found us."
"I did?" said Caina, trying to remember. The memories flashed through her mind. Ark had left Rasadda with her, following the trail of the slave traders to the tenements of Malarae. Caina had infiltrated the slavers, located the captives, and arranged for the city's militia to attack. The slavers had been defeated, and hundreds of captives freed, including Tanya and Nicolai.
Hadn't they?
"Thank you," said Ark, gripping Caina's shoulder, his other arm around his wife. "I had given up hope. But you were able to find them."
"Yes," said Caina, voice distant. Another set of memories warred with the first. She remembered leaving Ark in Rasadda as the new circlemaster of the city's Ghosts. He hadn't accompanied her to Malarae. And then she had gone to the Vineyard in the Disali hills without Ark.
"Are you all right?" said Ark.
"I...am tired, that is all," said Caina, managing a ragged smile. "It has been an exhausting few months. But worth the effort, if we have found your family." She blinked in confusion. "Wait. Nicolai. Where is Nicolai? Where is your baby?"
Tanya smiled. "He hasn't been a baby for some time now. He's almost six. Would you like to meet him?"
"Yes," said Caina. She had seen the pain in Ark's eyes has he spoke of his lost son. "I do."
"This way," said Tanya, taking Ark's hand.
Tanya led them through the empty warehouse, past the stalls where the captives had been chained.
"The slavers realized that I was married to a Ghost,” said Tanya, “so they put Nicolai in a special cell, away from the others. Here it is."
Caina froze.
A silver door stood in the warehouse's brick wall. Just looking at the strange silvery metal gave Caina a headache, and a hellish yellow-orange glow leaked through the cracks around the door. Like the door opened in a raging furnace that would sear the flesh from her bones.
And she had seen that damned door before. She was sure of it.
"What is that?" said Caina.
"The door to Nicolai's cell," said Tanya. "Open it, and meet my son."
"He's your son," said Caina. "Yours and Ark's. Why did you leave him in there?"
"We need you to open the door for us," said Ark.
"It doesn't look locked," said Caina.
"It's not," said Tanya. "But, please, open
He would tell her who he really was, or he would regret it.
Alastair snarled, and the world dissolved into silver light.
###
"You found her," said a man's voice, deep and rough with a thick Caerish accent. "Gods of the Legion, I cannot believe it. You found her!"
Caina turned.
She was disguised as a man, wearing the leather armor and rough trousers of a common caravan guard, and she was standing outside a worn brick warehouse in the docks of Malarae, its doors ripped open. Hundreds of rag-clad children ran out of the warehouse, laughing and weeping as they sprinted to their mothers. The children still bore the marks of chains upon their wrists and the cruel welts of whips upon their backs.
Slaves.
And Caina had freed them all.
"You actually found them," said the man's voice again.
Caina tore her gaze away from the laughing children and looked at the man. He was about forty, built like a boulder, his balding hair close-cropped. He had hard gray eyes, and wore chain mail and a sheathed broadsword at his belt.
And he looked happy, happier than she had ever seen him.
"Ark," said Caina.
Ark grinned. "Tanya!"
His wife Tanya and infant son Nicolai had been taken prisoner by slave traders five years past, and the slavers’ ship had vanished. Ark had joined the Ghosts to find them, and had spent every waking moment since looking for them.
And now Tanya ran to him.
She looked a great deal like Caina, with long black hair and blue eyes, though she was taller and not quite so lean. She threw herself into Ark's arms, weeping.
"Thank you," whispered Tanya, staring at Caina over Ark's shoulder. "Oh, gods, thank you. I never thought I would be free again. But you found us."
"I did?" said Caina, trying to remember. The memories flashed through her mind. Ark had left Rasadda with her, following the trail of the slave traders to the tenements of Malarae. Caina had infiltrated the slavers, located the captives, and arranged for the city's militia to attack. The slavers had been defeated, and hundreds of captives freed, including Tanya and Nicolai.
Hadn't they?
"Thank you," said Ark, gripping Caina's shoulder, his other arm around his wife. "I had given up hope. But you were able to find them."
"Yes," said Caina, voice distant. Another set of memories warred with the first. She remembered leaving Ark in Rasadda as the new circlemaster of the city's Ghosts. He hadn't accompanied her to Malarae. And then she had gone to the Vineyard in the Disali hills without Ark.
"Are you all right?" said Ark.
"I...am tired, that is all," said Caina, managing a ragged smile. "It has been an exhausting few months. But worth the effort, if we have found your family." She blinked in confusion. "Wait. Nicolai. Where is Nicolai? Where is your baby?"
Tanya smiled. "He hasn't been a baby for some time now. He's almost six. Would you like to meet him?"
"Yes," said Caina. She had seen the pain in Ark's eyes has he spoke of his lost son. "I do."
"This way," said Tanya, taking Ark's hand.
Tanya led them through the empty warehouse, past the stalls where the captives had been chained.
"The slavers realized that I was married to a Ghost,” said Tanya, “so they put Nicolai in a special cell, away from the others. Here it is."
Caina froze.
A silver door stood in the warehouse's brick wall. Just looking at the strange silvery metal gave Caina a headache, and a hellish yellow-orange glow leaked through the cracks around the door. Like the door opened in a raging furnace that would sear the flesh from her bones.
And she had seen that damned door before. She was sure of it.
"What is that?" said Caina.
"The door to Nicolai's cell," said Tanya. "Open it, and meet my son."
"He's your son," said Caina. "Yours and Ark's. Why did you leave him in there?"
"We need you to open the door for us," said Ark.
"It doesn't look locked," said Caina.
"It's not," said Tanya. "But, please, open
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