Chainfire: Chainfire Trilogy Part 1

Altur'Rang was huge. As darkness took the city, many of the invaders would become disoriented and lost. Because of the narrow warren of streets they wouldn't be able to stay together to present a coordinated attack. They would not be allowed to go where they wished, as they wished, attacking helpless people; they would be relentlessly pursued and harried. Each group would get smaller all the time, both because they would be whittled down while under constant attack, and because some of their men would try other routes to find a way to safety. Nicci had made sure that there was no place of safety in the city.

"There is blood all down the front of you." Victor called up to her. "Are you all right?"

"I got clumsy and fell off my horse. I'm fine. This must end tonight," she reminded Victor.

"In a hurry to go after Richard?"

She smiled but didn't answer his question. "I'd better go whack the hornets' nest. I will bring them on my heels."

He nodded. "We're ready."

When she spotted three soldiers in the distance trying to make an escape without their horses, Nicci paused to cast a shimmering spell down a narrow twisting street. With three rapid thuds, the lance of power slammed through flesh and bone to drop the three.

"And Victor," she said turning back to the man, "there's one last thing."

"What would that be?"

"No one gets away alive. No one."

With the sounds of battle raging behind him, he appraised her eyes for a moment. "I understand. Ishaq will be waiting for you; try to get the hornet's nest there as quickly as you can."

Nicci, checking the reins to hold Sa'din in place, nodded. "I will bring the soldiers right down.»

She turned to the sudden whoosh of flame. Great gouts of fire flared up to the east. She knew that it could mean only one thing.

Victor cursed and climbed up to stand on the carcass of a dead war-horse as he craned his neck, trying to get a view over the rooftops at the thick smoke billowing up into the darkening sky.

He cast a suspicious scowl at Nicci. "You failed to get Kronos?"

"I got Kronos," she growled through gritted teeth, "and another wizard. It would appear that they have another gifted with them. I guess they came prepared." Nicci laid the reins over, turning Sa'din toward the distant sounds of screams. "But they didn't come prepared for Death's Mistress."

CHAPTER 29

"What do you think it could mean?" Berdine asked.

Verna glanced over at the Mord-Sith's blue eyes. "Ann didn't say."

The library was dead quiet but for the soft hiss of oil lamps. What with the row upon row of aisles along with the woodwork and shelves of dark walnut, the lamps and candles did little to illuminate the vast inner sanctuary. Had Verna lit all of the reflector lamps lining the walls and hung on the end caps of shelves, the place could have been made to be considerably brighter but, for their purpose, she didn't think it necessary.

In a way, Verna felt that if they were to light too many lamps, pull out too many ancient volumes, disturb the sanctum to a large degree, it might wake the ghosts of all the Master Rahls who haunted the place.

Heavy beams divided the dark, frame and panel woodwork of deep-set ceiling coves. Gilded carvings of vines and leaves meandered up columns to the side that supported those massive timbers. Strange yet beautiful symbols were painted in rich colors across the faces of the beams. Underfoot were spread luxurious carpets woven with elaborate designs in muted colors.

And everywhere, around the outer walls in cases behind glassed doors and in freestanding shelves marching through the library in orderly row upon row, were books by the thousands. Their leather bindings, mostly in deep colors with at least some gold or silver leaf on the spines, added a rich, mottled texture to the place. Verna had rarely seen libraries so grand. The vaults at the Palace of the Prophets where she had spent a great deal of time in study had also held thousands of books, but the place had been utilitarian, serving only the function of storing books and providing a practical place to read them. This palace revealed a reverence for the books and the knowledge they contained.

Knowledge was power, and throughout the ages each Lord Rahl in turn had such power at his fingertips. Whether or not he used that knowledge wisely was another question. The only problem with such vast amounts of information would be accessing a specific item, or even knowing that it existed in such an immense collection.