Chương 86: Chapter 87: Alternate Routes

Interlude 9 The road to salvation led through Marybel. Namiah insisted he had a ship at the port; his family was a major player in the mercantile industry and it could be reliably assumed they always had some manner of transport leaving from or arriving to the city. Miriam thought entering into Marybel was suicide, but Namiah remained her only reasonable change of escaping alive. She did briefly wonder whether her original plan even made sense anymore.

If House Hollonel wasn't strong enough to protect itself, she had very little chance standing next to them when the guns went off. Still, she had few other options as she saw it, so she braced herself for what was likely to be her untimely demise. The first ambush they ran into was just outside Marybel - coincidentally near the farm she had slept beside as she had made her way to the forest for her own assassination mission.

The driver of the carriage, exposed outside leading the horses, slumped over even before she heard the report of the rifle. Each of the two horses were next and with sickening thuds the carriage lurched to a stop.

"I must go out there!" Namiah said, readying his own rifle.

"Otherwise we wait for our deaths here."

"Stop," Miriam had said. From what little she had seen Namiah Hollenel was a figure accustomed to leadership - but not to action. She had no doubt that on the factory floor, or even in the chambers of Parliament, he would be a terrifying force to be reckoned with. But here, on the road? He was little better than a tempting target.

"I will go." Namiah tried to argue chivalry and valor, puffing up his chest with words on duty and honor. Miriam simply ignored him and slipped out the tiny curtained window in the back of the carriage, hoping that since they were attacked from the front they might be facing a lone gunman rather than a squad. Her hopes were soon dashed as a bullet buried itself into the wood beside her, tearing away clothes and flesh as the bullet left a nasty graze on her ribs.

Miriam threw herself bodily away from the carriage behind a haybale, curling into a ball against the pain of the bullet. She hadn't seen where the shot had come from. The only hope she had of dispatching the rear gunman was for him to take a couple of wild shots, but he seemed far too disciplined for that. Then she realized that wasn't the plan at all. The right plan was to use Namiah Hollenel as bait. ✧✧✧"We need to find an alternate route," Eoin said.

"We can't make it through that many Crockern."

"We can," Cormac urged.

"With my luck, and your illusions we can walk right in."

"My illusions don't allow us to walk through other people," Eoin explained patiently.

"There's too many Crockern bunched up there, and while your luck is impressive, some of those Crockern are also Fourths. Can you guarantee that the crowd will disperse perfectly to allow we three invisible companions to just walk in?" Miriam could see that Cormac was going to say yes, no matter what the truth was, so she interrupted.

"Is there a way to the lower tunnels through the mines we worked in yesterday?" Cormac scowled.

"How would we know? They only let us go down one path, and we don't have access to tunnel maps."

"Wait…maybe we do know a way in!" Miriam brightened.

"The sealed-off mine shaft at the edge of the First Ring! Eoin, do you know a way to get through iron?"

"Eh, I might be able to, but honestly you're better suited for it," he said.

"A River Adept is all about flow and pressure. One of the things I was planning to train you on was going to be using Water fórsa to cut and peirce."

"Ok, so we might be able to get through," Miriam said.

"It would take us a day to get there," Cormac said.

"That's far too long. Róise needs help now!"

"Actually, I can help with that," Eoin said.

"Gather whatever you need and meet back at the courtyard where you were first sorted into teams in thirty minutes. I can get us to the First Ring in about an hour." Miriam rushed into the dorms, hands full with an overstuffed bag. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"You're late!" Cormac scolded.

"We almost left without you."

"No, we didn't," Eoin said.

"Sorry," Miriam said.

"I snuck down to the mine and grabbed some of the chainmail suits. I have no idea what we're walking into, but it stands to reason that the iron contamination might be even worse down there."

"Ok," Cormac admitted.

"That was a good idea." Eoin gestured for them to huddle closer together and began a technique. Mist coalesced around them as Eoin swayed to a tiny dance that Miriam recognized as one from her time in Solas's basement. She had gotten so used to using Water fórsa without forms it seemed quaint to see them in action again.

"This is called Cloud Carriage," he explained.

"I'm going to be using both this - which normally holds only one person - along with Invisible Mist at the same time… so try not to fall off. I can't promise I can catch you."

"What do you mean fall off-" Miriam's question choked off as the mist under them began to lift them up into the sky. Cormac grinned, his fingers dancing against his palms.

"Róise is going to hate that she missed this!" The mist wrapped them in a blurry cocoon and Eoin raised it into the sky. Miriam could barely breathe - she had seen hot air balloons float lazily around the sky on some festival days in Marybel, but she had never been able to afford to ride on one. Frankly, she never really had the desire to and Eoin's cloud wasn't changing that opinion. Teilgcheárta sank below them as if they were standing up from inspecting a toy playset.

The smoke still billowed up around them, but now it seemed like a low ceiling when from the ground it looked like a part of the sky. They climbed the smokestacks and soon left them behind as the cloud lurched towards the south and began picking up speed. Miriam nearly did lose her balance, but she managed to grab hold of Eoin's arm before tumbling over.

"Careful!" he teased, though sweat was evident on his face. The fórsa this was burning must be incredible.

"You know, in a Ring or two you might be able to do something like this! But probably even faster!"

"Faster?" Miriam swallowed, hard. The ground was moving below them now, as if it were nothing but a tapestry being rolled up. As useful as this was, she wasn't sure she could ever become accustomed to blazing across the skies like a shooting star.

"This is incredible!" Cormac laughed.

"You have got to take Róise and I out on this some time! She would go absolutely crazy." The mountain they had descended only yesterday morning rushed towards them. If she squinted, Miriam could make out the willow tree that she had been reborn from. She was a little surprised it was still there - she had thought it might wither away once it served its function. As they flew over the top of the ridge Miriam suddenly felt lighter, stronger! It was like she could lift a horse cart by herself.

Having felt the added pressure of the Second Ring, this was like being a little drunk.

"Is this the First Ring?" she marveled. She looked at Eoin.

"Gods, how must it feel for you?"

"Everything is made out of parchment out here," Eoin said with a smile. Then, his smile faded.

"Is this what you were expecting to see?" Miriam looked down to see the campsite they had assaulted around the tunnel. Where before there had been a sparse scouting encampment, now was an army at rest. Trees had been felled for hundreds of yards to make way for tents. Horses grazed in fields lower down - fields that had been snowy when Miriam had scouted them. Cookfires burned everywhere, thin tendrils of gray smoke that seemed like Teilgcheárta in miniature. Miriam felt suddenly very stupid.

"I heard them say the rest of the forces were coming. I just… I suppose with everything that happened in the tunnels I didn't consider what that mean."

"It's the livery of House Séarlait," Cormac said.

"They must have gotten here not long after we left. If we had taken the road instead of gone straight up the mountain we'd have run into them." He slammed his fist into his own knee.

"Damn it! We've wasted all this time. We have to go back now."

"Maybe not," Eoin said. Since entering the First Ring he looked more at ease - Miriam supposed the Cloud Carriage was easier to manage here.

"If I were to wrap illusions on you to make you look like Crockern, it would fall apart quickly. The difference in physiology is too great. But Séarlait's got Bodacs and Pixies and Banshees and all sorts in there. Cormac is fine as he is, and all I have to do is a little touch-up on myself and Miriam."

"What does that matter?" Cormac snapped.

"You think we can just go down the tunnel and start cutting through without anyone noticing." Eoin rolled his eyes.

"Do you think this emergency happened out of nowhere? My bet is that the Séarlait contingent arrived, broke down the iron barrier and 'freed the Iron Dead,' whatever that means." Miriam nodded.

"That makes sense. It was a pretty big coincidence that this happened right after we showed up. But that also means that Caolán Séarlait knew exactly where to go in the tunnels below."

"If it was indeed his intent to free the Iron Dead, that seems incredibly likely," Eoin agreed.

"So?" Cormac was practically vibrating.

"I don't care about Caolán Séarlait. I just need to get to Róise."

"That's the point," Miriam said.

"He must have maps to the tunnels. If we can get those, we're much more likely to be able to find Róise and get out."

"Damn it!" Cormac said.

"This is just like Cianán's Walk all over again. Róise's alone and there's nothing I can do to help."

"Sure there is," Eoin said, lowering the cloud towards the encampment.

"Finding the maps in that camp is going to be next to impossible. We're going to need a lot of luck." Cormac took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

"You're right, you're right. I'll try to keep it together." The camp grew closer and closer until Eoin set them down in a clearing not far from the tents. Before he dropped Invisible Mist Eoin activated another technique: Misty Mirage, which cloaked Miriam and himself in illusion. Miriam looked down; she was dressed as a logistics officer of the Searalit consortium, in flowing, impractical robes. Her skin was a pale pinkish hue - very close to what it had once been when she was a human.

Eoin became a Bodac warrior, in expensive leather armor, his features completely unrecognizable. They had taken two steps into camp when a voice rang out.

"Cormac Fiadh? Is that you?"