Risen by Benedict Jacka

Author:Benedict Jacka [Jacka, Benedict]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery
ISBN: 9780440000624
Amazon: 0440000629
Goodreads: 56358066
Publisher: Ace
Published: 2020-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

12

Luna, Ji-yeong and I jumped through.

We came down on a stone bridge over the sea. Behind was the castle with its looming walls and towers; ahead were the tombs, a single curving building with arrow-slit windows mounted on a rocky pillar rising out of the water.

There was no time to look around. Keepers and soldiers were moving through the gates in a steady stream, crossing the bridge at a jog. I caught a glimpse through the crowd of black shadows guarding the entrance to the tombs: gunfire stammered, there was a flash of magic and the next I saw the shadows were gone.

I stepped to one side, motioning Luna and Ji-yeong next to me. The Council forces kept streaming past for a few seconds more, then the flow stopped. Compass was the last one through, letting the gates close behind her.

Gunfire echoed from within the tombs, and I could sense battle magic: fire, lightning, ice. Over the tactical channel, I could hear combat chatter: progress reports, terse directions. Landis’s men were fanning out, destroying any shadows they found. A soldier called out an alert for jann; a second later there was a flash of magic and the order to move up.

Tobias was directing a group of soldiers and mages at the entrance to the tombs. ‘. . . hold here,’ he was saying. He glanced at us as we walked past, then turned back. ‘Remember, look out for humans. If they’re serious, that’s . . .’

I glanced back up at the looming castle. No sign of movement. ‘Come on,’ Ji-yeong said. She was staring at the tombs, keyed-up and eager.

‘Patience,’ I said. ‘You’ll get your chance to fight.’

The inside of the tombs was gloomy and cold. I led Luna and Ji-yeong up the stairs. No shadows or jann were left. We passed one soldier with a bloody arm, leaning against the wall while a medic bandaged the wound, but it looked as if there hadn’t been much resistance. That wouldn’t change until—

‘Mage contact!’ a soldier called over the comm. ‘Mage contact in the central chamber. Force magic attacks, one man down.’

‘Hold position,’ Landis replied instantly. ‘Second and third squads, converge on the central chamber.’

‘Go,’ I said.

We ran up the stairs, our footsteps echoing on the stone. Inside my head, I was counting off minutes. As soon as Anne – the marid – realised what we were doing, it’d send reinforcements. We had to do as much damage as possible before then.

And then we came out, and there was no more time for thinking about anything except the battle in front of us.

The main chamber of the tombs was a wide, flattened oval, coloured in browns and greys. Magelights glowed from holders spaced around the room. The walls were lined with sarcophagi, each set back into the stone, with walkways joining them in giant rings. There were rows and rows of sarcophagi, each stacked on top of another and set a little back, running all the way up to the ceiling. Hundreds and hundreds.

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