Gates of Ruin (Magelands Eternal Siege, #6) by Christopher Mitchell (top 10 books of all time .TXT) 📗

‘You thought what?’ said another voice.

Belinda turned, and her eyes narrowed. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘What do you think?’ said Sable. ‘We’re trying to get off this world before you crazed Ascendants destroy it. Do you have a Quadrant?’

‘No.’

‘What have you been doing in here?’ said Corthie. ‘The stairwell is full of bodies.’

Sable strode past them and stood before the Sextant. ‘She’s been defending this… thing.’

‘Yes. If I can stop Edmond taking it, I will. I’ve been here for hours. They’ve sent soldiers and demigods against me. Even Arete.’

Sable turned. ‘You fought Arete?’

‘I killed her.’

Corthie’s eyes widened. ‘You killed an Ascendant on your own?’

‘I am an Ascendant, Corthie; the Third. You should know that I have death powers now.’

‘They won’t work on us,’ said Sable.

‘And why would you think I’d want to use them on you?’

‘You tried to kill me the last time we met.’

Belinda’s temper bubbled to the surface. ‘You attacked me, Sable. You didn’t give me a chance to explain what I was doing; you lunged at me with your sword. And didn’t you have a Quadrant? What happened to it?’

‘I gave it to Blackrose.’

‘Is Blackrose coming?’ said Corthie.

‘No. She, and the rest of them, will be in Dragon Eyre by now. Only I was stupid enough to come here.’

‘What’s happening outside?’ said Belinda.

‘Sable broke open the gates,’ said Corthie, ‘and the Banner soldiers are fighting thousands of civilians who came up the ramp. The residence seems deserted; we hardly met any resistance on the way here, apart from a squad at the entrance. If we can get a Quadrant, we can come back here and take the Sextant with us. We’ll need to pick up Van and Sanguino first, then Aila and Kelsey, and anyone else we can find; and then we can go home.’

Belinda felt her chest constrict. ‘I am home, Corthie. Lostwell is my home.’

‘Yeah?’ said Sable. ‘Well, your home is in the process of tearing itself to pieces. Do you want to live or not?’

‘I want to get the Sextant working.’

‘What’s wrong with it?’ said Corthie.

Belinda raised the Weathervane. ‘It needs this. This is the missing piece, the key. Only, I don’t know where it’s supposed to fit.’

‘Is that the sword that Silva gave you?’

‘Yes, though she had no idea of its true significance. All she knew was that I had told her to keep it safe.’

Corthie walked up to the Sextant. ‘This brings back some bad memories,’ he said. He glanced at Belinda. ‘You saved me, back in Fordamere. Thank you. The two Ascendants… they…’

‘I know, Corthie,’ she said. ‘I watched it happen.’

‘They were too good for me.’

‘You tried to fight two at the same time.’

Sable crouched by the huge device. ‘If we can get this beast working, can we use it as a Quadrant?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then stop talking and get that sword over here. I can see several places where a blade would fit.’

‘That’s the problem,’ said Belinda, as she walked over. ‘I’ve tried many locations.’

‘Corthie,’ said Sable; ‘watch the stairs.’

‘Actually,’ said Belinda; ‘Corthie, go down one flight of stairs and into my rooms. Look for a long crate on the floor. There’s something inside for you. A gift.’

Corthie frowned. ‘Use your vision first; see if anyone’s there.’

Both women turned to the doorway.

‘It’s clear,’ said Sable.

‘Yes,’ said Belinda, ‘but be quick. I don’t know where Edmond is.’

Corthie clambered over the barricade and slipped from the room.

Sable and Belinda gazed at the Sextant.

‘Are all your powers back?’ said Sable.

‘I’m missing flow and stone.’

Sable half-smiled. ‘You’ve got all of the important ones, then. Are you really thinking of sacrificing yourself for this stupid world?’

‘Aren’t you doing the same thing? I thought you would have taken the chance to leave with Blackrose? Wasn’t that your plan? Why did you come back?’

‘For Corthie.’

‘You’re doing the same as me. We're risking everything to try to save what we love. For me, it’s Lostwell; for you, your nephew.’

‘We’re not the same, Belinda. And Lostwell’s doomed; Corthie isn’t. I intend to live through this, and find somewhere for me and Sanguino to settle. I wanted it to be Dragon Eyre, but right now, anywhere would do, even the damn Holdings. I don’t like you, Belinda, but Corthie loves you. Don’t throw your life away for a world that cannot be saved.’

‘My realm.’

‘In a matter of hours, your realm will consist of nothing but dust and corpses. If you could only…’

Sable’s voice tailed away as another strong rumble shook the tower. Dust floated down from the ceiling, and a painting fell from the wall, clattering over the polished floorboards. The chamber settled for a moment, and the two women glanced at each other, then the ceiling collapsed at the same time as the floor gave way. The walls tumbled in and the tower fell. Belinda lunged forwards as rubble bombarded them and covered Sable with her body, pushing her next to the Sextant as everything in the chamber plunged downwards. Darkness enveloped them amid the thunderous roar of collapsing masonry. The impact with the ground drove the breath from Belinda’s lungs, then a stone block struck her back and head, and she lost consciousness.

* * *

She awoke in the ruins of the tower. Light was flickering through the gaps in the rubble, the light of flames. She felt groggy, but her self-healing was thrumming, and her body had repaired itself. The armour had helped, she thought, pushing herself up. Beneath her lay Sable. Belinda placed a hand against the woman’s face. She looked uninjured, but Belinda’s healing senses could feel the crushed ribs and broken bones. She shot a surge of healing into Sable’s body, then pushed up again, using her battle-vision to move the heavy blocks and shove them to the side. She climbed up from the wreckage and saw a figure glowing ahead of her.

‘Like a god, you arise from the ashes,’ said Edmond, standing a dozen yards away at the edge of the mountain of rubble. ‘I should have guessed that toppling the tower