Heart of Black Ice

CHAPTER 26

After watching the sacrifice of the man named Cal, Nicci now fully understood the explosive threat of the zhiss. She could not just abandon these people to seek another war, hoping they would manage to keep containing the bloodthirsty black cloud. She had to find a way to stop the destructive force before it broke loose and swarmed across the landscape. Nicci was not one to walk away and leave a problem unsolved.

And the Sorceress must save the world.

While sheltered inside during the day, Nicci called some of the Hidden People into Kurgan’s cavernous throne room. Restless, Mrra brushed against Nicci’s leg. Her black travel dress was swallowed up in the stark shadows of the torchlit chamber.

She announced to the group without preamble, “I will help you find a way to stop or destroy the zhiss.” The big cat let out a growl, as if to agree with her sister panther’s new mission.

The Hidden People sounded relieved and excited. Young Asha grinned. “I knew you would!”

With a satisfied expression, Cora nodded. “The legends said a hero would come back and save us.”

“It should be General Utros,” said Cyrus. “That was the prophecy.”

“Would you prefer to wait for him?” Nicci snapped. “Or shall I try?”

Cyrus frowned. “You may try.”

“I tend to succeed.” Nicci did not boast of her past victories. She had killed Jagang, she had helped Richard defeat Emperor Sulachan and his hordes. She had destroyed the Lifedrinker as well as the violently uncontrolled Victoria. She had fought the twisted society of Ildakar, and she had clashed with General Utros. The zhiss swarm was an entirely different danger.

Nicci stepped onto the cold stone dais that had once held Iron Fang’s imposing throne. “I am a sorceress, and I was once a Sister of the Dark. I can use both the Additive and Subtractive sides of my gift. I don’t know what the zhiss are or where they came from, but I will find a way to stop them.”

The shadowy people looked at her with hopeful expressions. They pulled back their gray hoods to reveal faces white from living in darkness, but their expressions now showed a spark of hope that she had not seen earlier. Mrra thrashed her tail, and a low rumble vibrated from her throat.

Cora came forward to help. “We can tell you everything we know about them. Maybe it will give you what you need to find a solution.”

The Hidden People had studied the black swarm for generations, documenting their observations, their extrapolations, and several failed attempts to eradicate the zhiss. For more than five hundred years, they had poisoned their bodies with the toxic fungus, but they had tried little else, simply clinging to the status quo and keeping the threat at least marginally under control.

Cora brought her scrolls and bound journals, ledgers where witnesses had recorded their thoughts from generations earlier. Nicci pored over the words, dismissing anything that was not relevant. She had studied for many years in the Palace of the Prophets and also learned techniques that were forbidden.

While the pale old woman made suggestions and pointed out important summaries, Nicci tried to devise a tactic that might work. She skimmed another account and mulled over what she knew. “They only come out during the day. They thrive under the light and hide or go dormant in darkness.” She looked at Cora. “Do you know where they go? How I can find their lair?”

The old woman shook her head. A gray-brown strand of hair dangled down the side of her wrinkled face.

Nicci tried another idea. “Can we attract them at night? Could we call them here, under our terms?”

Cora reacted with horror. “Why would you do that? It is our only time of safety.”

An idea began to form in Nicci’s mind. “Because in daylight they can go anywhere, but what if we found a way to attract them to a dark place and trap them there?” Her lips curved in a hard smile. “That might be what we need.”

The old woman looked disturbed. “How would you hold them? What could possibly contain the zhiss?”

Nicci raised her hand to indicate the stone walls. “Your artisans bricked up the arches and windows, sealed these buildings, and the zhiss can’t penetrate the walls. A properly constructed stone structure could hold them in just as easily as blocking them out. We could imprison them permanently, maybe starve them.”

As she developed her plan, Nicci had to convince the Hidden People, for she would need their help. Since she was a gifted sorceress, the primary work of trapping and holding the zhiss would fall on her shoulders, but the Hidden People were a skilled workforce and she would need them all to pull together to craft a permanent prison. Or an execution chamber. It would be a swift and ambitious job, if she could contain the cloud long enough.

When Nicci explained her idea, Cora said, “Many of us may die.”

“You sacrifice one of your number every month just to keep them contained. Your people have been dying here for centuries, to no good effect. My idea may put an end to the threat forever. Isn’t that what you want?”

“It’s a risk we have to take,” the old woman admitted, “and I pray you succeed.”

“So do I,” Nicci said under her breath. “You have never seen someone like me.”

Over the course of planning, Nicci scouted the city every night, deciding on the right place to set her trap. She and Mrra prowled outside as soon as twilight fell. She required a large space to confine the swarming cloud, and the round sunken amphitheater seemed perfect for her purposes.

During their days inside the sealed buildings, the Hidden People scoured the imperial halls and chambers to find old mirrors that could be polished to bright reflectiveness, smooth sheets of gold and brass that gleamed in the torchlight. After all the preparations were made, Nicci began building what she called her “cauldron trap.”

As soon as the sun went down, the Hidden People bustled around the stage at the bottom of the crater amphitheater, installing the mirrors, the reflective metal sheets, and angled crystals, all of which sent out rainbow shards of torchlight. The work crews took advantage of every hour of darkness. They filled the center stage where Iron Fang had once shouted his speeches to a cowed populace. They piled a mound of dry wood, split logs, and thin branches, enough to make a blazing bonfire. All of the reflective surfaces would increase the brilliance a hundredfold.

Even so, Nicci suspected the blaze wouldn’t be sufficient. With her gift, she would add much more to create a dazzling, irresistible beacon. It would be as bright as the sun, bright enough to call the zhiss.

When the preparations for the beacon were complete, Nicci ordered all of the master artisans, masons, and stonecutters to prepare for a furious, desperate night of work, stacking up all the supplies so they were ready at hand. Once Nicci did her part—if it worked—they would have only one chance and very little time.

By living inside the abandoned buildings every day, the Hidden People knew the architecture from the inside out. They understood how stones fit together, and they knew how to build arches and vaulted ceilings. They could cut stone with great precision, and they knew the mixtures for fast-drying, permanent mortar and plaster that would endure for ages.

After measuring the sunken amphitheater, their architects designed support struts and mapped out the blocks that would be needed. Though they rushed back inside each sunrise when the zhiss returned, the shadowy people worked with tremendous energy and increasing hope.

Each night Mrra ran free, reuniting with the other sand panthers that lurked in the mountains. The big cat made fresh kills and feasted with her new pride, but she always returned to spend the day in the shadows with Nicci. Mrra could sense her sister panther’s restlessness, wanting to attack the formless black cloud, but Nicci couldn’t allow her to be in danger.

When the preparations were at last complete, a tension built among the Hidden People. They watched the daylight wane through chinks in the barricaded windows. Nicci scratched the big cat behind the ears and led her into her own bedchamber, blocking her thoughts. She had a heavy heart, knowing that Mrra would see her actions as a betrayal.

“I have to keep you safe,” Nicci whispered. “This is my fight. I need to make sure you stay here.” Mrra growled and tried to push past her to escape the chamber, but Nicci blocked her way. “I will come back for you.” She pulled the thick door shut, locking Mrra inside.

Angry at her confinement, the panther thumped against the door. Loud scratches came from the other side, along with a frustrated yowl. Nicci suspected that by the time she returned—if she returned—the door would be torn to splinters. She had to move quickly.

Nicci hurried through the corridors to where Hidden People had gathered. Cora waited with dozens of eager and nervous people at the towering palace doors, while other Hidden People lurked inside many secondary buildings. They were ready.

“We have to wait until the darkest hour of the night,” Nicci said.

Cyrus adjusted his gray cowl, frowning. “We’ve waited long enough.”

“And tonight, if we are successful, your waiting will end.”