The Red Fortress: The Divided World, #2

By Raf Morgan

In the impregnable red fortress, the mysterious leader of the slavers waits, accumulating power.

 

Slavers have been taking children from across the divided world for longer than Nes can remember. While she's rescued her sibs with the help of her friends Malenie and Paza, her cousins are still missing and most everyone else has given up hope.

 

But Nes has the shaper's sense. With it, a lock of hair will lead her to its owner and a pebble can become a truth stone.

Friends may not let friends hunt slavers alone, but if Nes doesn't succeed, she will lose not just her family but Malenie and Paza too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raf Morgan
• Release date: Dec 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781948516112

Book preview

Chapter 1

When I was little, I choked on a chicken bone once. It scraped the sides of my throat, and the bone and panic closed off my breath. In the long moments before my pa’s hard thump on the back, I was afraid I was gonna die.

That’s what it’s like for me most times with words. They stick in my throat and choke me. It doesn’t matter if they’re words of love or anger. I feel like I’m trying to swallow something too big, except I’m trying to get the words up and out, not down and in.

Even though I wasn’t trying to talk, that’s what I was feeling as I sat on the dusty tile steps of my friend Malenie’s family’s house and watched my sibs play. The twins, seven-year-old Tep and Del, raced up and down the raked gravel path—wider than the twisty alley Malenie and I used to live on—screaming with delight, at the game, at each other, for the freedom of it I suppose.

Mostly the kids avoided trampling all the plants with their thick moisture-saving leaves and the shy yellow and pink flowers, still as awed as me at all the richness surrounding us. It was hard to wrap my mind around the waste of water that growing those flowers in the desert meant. The house was the biggest I'd ever seen, made of stone, not adobe, and the compound as big as half of Trader Town, where I’d grown up. I don’t know why my sibs had taken to playing in the front garden, maybe because they weren't supposed to, or maybe so they could watch the gate and all the comings and goings. We were all still skittish. I was just glad they felt free enough, safe enough to do something they weren’t supposed to, and that made the lump come up in my throat. I’d hugged them enough they should know how I felt, even if I hadn’t said.

So when Malenie skipped down the steps and stopped next to me, it was a relief to laugh and forget about all the things I wanted to say and couldn’t. Malenie glittered. I mean really, her skin was twinkling in the harsh morning light and reflecting it back like tiny mirrors. She’d been practicing her magic like there was no tomorrow ever since, well ever since most of our troubles got solved. Grinning back at me out of that pointy face of hers, she flipped her black hair over her shoulders. She says she can’t wait ‘til she’s old enough to tie it back—that’s some kind of religious rule her people have that girls leave their hair loose—but I think her straight slick hair is pretty in an odd sort of way. I fingered the matching narrow braids of hair—hers and our friend Paza’s—around my wrist and admired her show.

She opened her mouth and my good mood got a dent in it ’cause I knew what she was going to ask. My sis Chal ran up right then, shouting Do me! Do me! and danced around us. Malenie looked at me and lifted one eyebrow, a trick she’d picked up from the Suntin matriarch after hours in front of a mirror holding onto one while she grimaced and wiggled the other. I shrugged, but Chal squealed in delight. She knew I couldn’t say no to her right now.

Malenie’s hand felt slight and cool in my callused hand. As soon as I started talking, Malenie’s magic built as pressure behind and under and above my eyes and in my ears. The dark blue diamonds on Malenie’s skin, the sign of her magic, responded too, throwing off a bright glow. I wish Chal’s skin looked like Malenie’s, I said, and the pressure and force released with a whoosh only I heard. The magic was Malenie’s, not mine, but it couldn’t work without me or Paza. We were her callers, and we gave it direction.

Just not always great direction.

I stared with chagrin as Chal turned sparkly just as I had intended, and the medium brown of her skin lightened to the red-tinted brown of Malenie’s. I hadn’t intended that.

Oops. Malenie giggled as Chal whooped in delight and ran off to prance in front of our other sibs.

Not specific enough, Nes. I made my voice deep and precise to imitate our tutor, Sarl. He said that to us every day, many, many times, as we practiced using Malenie’s magic.

Paza, the third, and youngest, in our group, joined us on the stairs and asked the question we’d been asking each other for weeks, the question Chal’s interruption had stopped Malenie from asking. Are they here yet?

I flung my arm out at the empty yard, and as if that had been a signal, the heavy double gates to the street swung open and a swarm of people spilled through as if I had magicked them.

My mouth dropped open ’cause of course I hadn’t. I don’t think anyone has that kind of magic, although Malenie’s is very strong and can do impossible things that are, like, well, magic. Malenie and me grew up on the other side of the Wall, where magic only works through things, and her magic didn’t work at all, so magic that worked through people was new and amazing to us. Paza laughed at my expression. She had the same pointy nose and chin as Malenie—after all, they were cousins as well as friends—but her cheeks were leaner and her hair wasn’t as long. It had been growing like cattails in the spring for the last two months and now reached the top of her shoulders. It looked a lot better than the short bristles that had stood up all over her head before. You wouldn’t mistake her for a boy anymore, as Malenie had when they first met.

We lost our smiles as we really looked at the newcomers. They were dusty and worn as you’d expect since they’d been riding hard for months, searching for the raiders who had burned my hometown to the ground and stolen all the children for slaves. Under the grit, the search party was exhausted, with none of the underlying energy they’d have had if they’d found them.

They’d failed.

Mutely, Malenie held out her hand to Paza, who said the words to banish the glitter from her skin, and then we worked our way through the milling people and camels. I didn’t know any of them, they were all guards from Malenie’s families. The smells of sweat and animals covered up the sweet scent of the flowers.

Malenie stopped in front of a man not too much older’n me. He looked friendly and like he usually had a grin on his face, but now all he had was sweat caked with dirt. Hey now, lasses, he said softly, leaning against his camel’s shoulder. No news is good news, they say, but not now. His voice was bitter. We didn’t find a trace of them. Those baby stealers got clean away.

My stomach tightened up and I swallowed hard; three of the babies they had stolen were my sibs. No matter I’d gotten them back, I wanted the raiders caught and hanged.

Not a trace of them, the man continued. We went clear to that red fortress of theirs, looming out of the sky with a shadow as big as a mountain. The townspeople let us in polite as you please, because there weren’t nothing for us to find. They said there weren’t no robbers or slavers among them, only honest folk, and traders in the fortress. We made them swear on a holy man’s rib bone and they lived, so they were telling the truth as far as they were saying.

I reached out and ran my fingers through the camel’s rough blond hair at the base of his neck. Rage had made a home inside me, growing like a tapeworm each time someone else disappeared from my life: Pa, Aunt Stel and Uncle Den and their kids, and finally Ma and my sibs. Even Malenie for a while. Getting Chal, Del and Tep back hadn't cured me of it, nor the two moons of refuge with Malenie's warm family, and now the rage burned through me with all its old strength.

I tried hard to hide it when I asked, What happens next? but concern scrunched up Paza’s face and she grabbed onto my hand. I let her, ’cause I was re-learning some things I used to know about letting others in. It wouldn’t break me down as I’d believed for a while, no matter how much I felt like it would. That’s what they all kept telling me anyhow.

Nothing, the guard answered, unless that wise man of Sarnath of yours or any of the magic users has something to go on. We don’t have any way of tracking them. I’m to take a report back to the Pashtin Matriarch on this miss, he pointed to Malenie with his chin, and her pa.

That meant he was from the other side—my side—of the Wall. The Pashtin matriarch was Malenie’s aunt. For someone who was next thing to an orphan two months ago, Malenie sure had a lot of family now, and important ones at that. I was happy for her, but her rapidly expanded family just pointed out to me how small my own had gotten.

It’s not right, Thod. Malenie glared at him like he was personally responsible.

We have no leads, nowhere to look, he said heavily. No one’s admitting to seeing them, even. But your friends from Trader Town are keeping an eye out and an ear to the ground. They’re our best bet now. He pushed upright like it hurt to move. I have to report.

I found Sarl, our tutor and more famously the wise man of Sarnath, in the camel pen, running his hands down his camel’s legs, and I knew he meant to leave us. He’d shaved his head in mourning like his son had died, and the white fuzz growing in made him look naked somehow. I didn't like it, but it was better than the shining brown of his scalp.

Scrolling green lines glowed from beneath the skin on his wrists, a sign of one of his magics. He had magic, like Malenie, and he had callers, like I was, to make it work, but he was also a seer. And he took the responsibility seriously. No way was he going to sit here while his son’s accomplices, the raiders, were still loose in the world. Complicated thing, family. And he wasn’t fixing on taking me, out of some misguided notion that because I was only sixteen I needed to be protected. I’d been doing the protecting for two years, of my sibs, of my ma even, and I didn’t plan on stopping now. I blocked the gate when he was done.

I have to go, he said. We both knew he didn’t just mean out of the pen.

It was hard to let him see my need, even him. Take me with you.

He put his hand on my shoulder and his mouth opened to say no.

I can help—you know, I thrust my hands out, palms up.

On the other side of the Wall, an awareness, a sensitivity, had been growing in my fingers and hands during the last year. Magic was in stone or bone or cloth there, but it still took a person to craft a spell stone to a specific purpose or to find the untapped magic—like the link between the braid of hair on my wrist to Malenie that always led me to her, without fail. Shaper’s sense, they called it. And sometimes I could do more than just tell, I could use the magic in the way it wanted to be used.

We don’t have anything that belongs to their leader, Harashan, he said.

Harashan had burned down Trader Town, slaved my sibs and most of the kids there, killed a lot of people, kidnapped Malenie’s pa and tried to kidnap Malenie in some reckless conspiracy with Sarl’s son Colvin to destroy the Wall. I wanted to find him and stop him with every particle of my body. And deep under that, a tiny bit of hope lurked that Harashan had my other sibs, my Aunt Stel’s children, who were as much my brothers and sisters as Chal, Del and Tep. I couldn’t allow myself to even think about that though.

But you’ll find something that belongs to him, and then you’ll need me, need my magic. It hurt to see the deep lines around his mouth and the mask of calmness he wore in place of the genuine serenity he’d shown when we first met. The responsibility he felt for his son Colvin’s wickedness still rode him hard. He wasn’t thinking sensible because of it.

You don’t have to worry about this, Nes. Let others take care of it.

My mouth fell open at the unfairness. He didn’t usually talk like that. As our tutor he’d been teaching us to think before we used magic; he’d never treated us like stupid children. In fact, lessons were the only times the pinched-up look on his face had eased a bit. Your magic won’t even work there, I said. You need me.

He ignored my anger and winked at me. I don’t know who he thought he was fooling. We have more skills than just my magic. He meant his two callers, Tal and Jos, and really there wasn’t much they couldn’t do. That’s why I needed to go with them: they’d succeed where others would fail. Had failed.

I felt the chicken bone in my throat again as I tried to find a way to explain. I had to go. Maybe everyone else had forgotten the rest of my family, but I hadn’t. I was their only hope. But he took my silence for assent and steered me towards the house.

I couldn’t find the words when I talked to my sibs either. We sat on my sleeping pallet in the room Malenie’s grandmother had given us and they watched me. Del cried. Instead of them, I looked at the light and shadow on the floor from the carved wooden screens in the windows. The mattress was firm against the backs of my thighs, and if I didn’t have my sandals on and ready to go, the tiles under my feet would have been smooth and cool. It was a nice house, a rich house, and they’d be safe here.

I’ll come back for you, I said instead of my other sibs names, Bren, Har, Ean and Jen, my reason for going.

We didn’t think you wouldn’t, Chal said, her face stony, so different from the usual flow of expression. She’d probably learned that while she’d been slaved; at the thought the lump in my throat got bigger.

Why does it have to be you? Tep asked.

It just has to. I couldn’t get their hopes up. My own was as uncertain as a soap bubble. And I couldn’t let them see my rage, though it was as solid as a stone wall, because I didn’t want to scare them. They were my responsibility, mine to protect.

Fine, Chal huffed, narrowing her eyes. It seemed like she was going to turn her back on me, but instead she fisted her hand in my tunic and twisted, bringing our faces close. Be careful, she hissed, fear coming out as anger. I knew that trick too well and pulled her still-little body to me in a hug.

I will, I promised, burying my nose in her tightly curled brown hair and breathing in the little girl smell of her, dust and soap and skin. Tep and Del smeared tears and snot on my neck ‘til I had to push them away.

Mind Serliac and Lissetta, now, eat what they give you, even if it’s strange, and help out as much as you can.

Chal glared at me and I knew she was thinking she’d been taking care of her own self and the littler ones and didn’t need no help. I knew it because it was how I felt. We were a lot alike.

Malenie’s family wants good things for us. Are you going to let them—and me—down? When I put it that way, it put her in charge of something and made the rest acceptable.

I grabbed my bag and hurried out the door, knuckling my eyes, trying so hard to pretend I wasn't crying myself that I didn't even see Malenie ‘til she fell into step beside me in the dim cool hall.

You weren’t even going to say goodbye to me, were you? She didn’t sound angry, in fact she sounded downright cheery. Glaring at her didn’t make a bit of difference.

I don’t know what you mean, I said, stopping short in front of one of the fancy mosaic pictures. I rasped my fingers over the grout between the smooth tiles. Usually looking at the blue water of the spring and the stone girl's easy smile calmed me, but not today. I’d always known the safety I’d found here was too good to be true.

Malenie continued along a few more steps alone. When she stopped, she turned that crooked grin on me and said, Sure you don’t. But we’ll never catch up to Sarl if you just stand there.

My stomach twisted and my throat closed up. Even though I hadn’t told her, I’d promised myself I’d never abandon her again, not like I had when my sibs were slaved and I left her to fight the town bullies on her own. And now I was breaking that promise. I wanted her to come more than anything, so I said, You can’t come with me.

Even to my ears that sounded weak. I wanted her to come, and I didn’t want her to come. She’d be safe here. If she was with me, I’d be safer. No contest, which was more important. I tried a threat. I’ll tell your pa.

You can’t, she turned her back on me and tossed over her shoulder, he’s not here. He went to see about that cough the city children have.

I trailed after her. I’ll tell the Matriarch.

She’s not here either. It’s council day and almost the whole family has left already. You couldn’t have picked a better day to sneak off if you tried.

I didn’t pick it, I muttered. Right, time to get serious. It’s too dangerous.

She snorted and turned around to look at me fully. Nes, we faced raiders, the desert, nightmares, unknown magic and a child killer together. Do you think I’m going to let you go by yourself? The scorn in her voice let me know what she thought of that. We’re a team.

I remembered why I never argued with Malenie. Ignored her, stopped speaking to her, yes, even thrown things at her, but never argued. She fought dirty.

But if she decided to stay here, safe, then I wasn’t abandoning her. I had to persuade her but not be mean, which was hard ’cause I felt mean all the time now. You just found your family, you can’t leave them. Family was everything—protection, support, the only ones you could rely on.

Watching my face, she said levelly, You are my family.

As many times as she’d said it in the last moons, I still thought she might change her mind. My body accepted her words before the rest of me, and I went light, like my feet had stopped touching the ground. My throat, shoulders, all of me, relaxed a bit. Friends was one thing, but family was different.

Malenie wins again. She nodded, not needing or forcing me to say anything, and led me down the stairs and out the door closest to the animal pen.

Sweat sprang up on my skin and glued my tunic to my back the moment I stepped out of the cool stone house. Mid-day. What a rotting stupid time to start out. Even the big house didn't throw much of a shadow. But Sarl had chosen it, not me, and I—we—had to catch up before they got to the Wall.

Our camel was already saddled and waiting. More of Malenie’s work, no doubt. So we're just going to leave Paza behind? I asked meanly, knowing Malenie had to feel guilty about that, and still feeling like she shouldn’t come. Hating myself for saying it and doing it anyway. Sometimes I truly didn't know myself anymore, this snarling, angry person who used my mouth.

"I left her a note, Malenie said with dignity, explaining that she's too sick."

I snorted. We'd better get out of here before she reads that. Paza had been weak since the big attack and kept catching every little cold and big illness going around Suntin, but Malenie had her head in the sand if she thought that would stop Paza. She’s going to be so mad at you.

Are you going to call the magic or not to sneak us out of here? Malenie asked, sticking her nose in the air. The camel is hard to miss.

I sighed. I wasn’t sure if I was bitter or relieved—not sure why I had been so angry at Malenie anyway—and reached for her shoulder. I wish for us and the camel to pass through the city unseen and unnoticed, I said carefully, as Sarl had instructed us. Pressure built up in my ears. As it released, faint blue light shone through Malenie’s clothes. Excitement at doing again whispered to me, and when we grinned at each other, I knew she felt it too.

In front of the house, the gates stood wide open, a sign of the Suntins’ power and a reassurance to the city that all was well again. Whatever. It was an invitation, and we took full advantage and led the camel out between the unsuspecting guards. Easy.

Chapter 2

Malenie guided us around the edge of the market that filled up the big square near her house. This time of day the buying and selling was lackadaisical or sharp-toned with heat-induced crabbiness, depending on disposition. I spotted a few fighters strolling around, their braids in a knot at the nape of their necks. The rest of the crowd was the regular mix for this city: a lot of Parthavians like Malenie, and Thessem like me, with more than a double handful of light-skinned Hennites, dark Samthanians and scarred nomads each. Trader Town never had this many people, even when the traders came, and I was still getting used to it.

We skirted between the semi-permanent merchant tents and the buildings that held eating establishments, taverns and more merchants, and the smells of cinnamon and cardamom, cooking grease, and the sweet-putrid smell of meat gone slightly off prickled my nose. After the market, the houses got smaller, and then bigger, changing from adobe to stone with wooden balconies that shaded the street. Next we came to the temples, smelling of perfumy flowers and burning wood offerings. Looking up their stepped stone sides made me dizzy, they were so tall. Even at mid-day their shade covered the streets. Temples were another thing Trader Town didn’t have. How could I be homesick in such a grand place for such a small place?

Our camel caught sight or smell of her three herd mates and sped up at the edge of the parade ground, which, in spite of the name, as far as I could tell was just a wide open area between the last of the temples and the Wall. It was mostly hard-packed dirt, but some greenery grew around the pools that always seemed to go hand in hand with the Wall, a bit like feral dogs and garbage: never far apart.

I stared at the Wall, or tried to anyway. My eyes kept sliding away, and I’d find myself staring at the sky—a blue paled by the heat almost to white—or my camel’s neck. That was part of the Wall’s magic: you couldn’t really see it and you forgot about it as soon as you turned your back. Most people anyways. Malenie could see it, and Sarl, on account of their magic. Until a