The Sapphire Stratagem

Book 3: The Crystal Halls

by Thomas K. Carpenter

Genres: Dark Fantasy; New Adult & College

Synopsis

After Razor clan's destruction, the remaining members join the Drops clan, keeping alive the hope that they might survive the ascendant Alliance. The newest clan in the Undercity has all the advantages—warriors, weapons, and a cunning maetrie leader that has outmaneuvered them at every turn.

The leaders of Drops clan believes they have one shot to end the upstart clan's hold on the Undercity.

A strike, right into the heart of the enemy, could put an end to the Alliance. But achieving that goal will require them to overcome not only magical fortifications, but each other, as old enmities bubble to the surface under the stress of achieving something most think impossible. If Kuma, Pandora, and the other young waku can't come together as a team, then they'll lose the Undercity—and their clans—forever.

 

Read more

Release date: December 12, 2023

Publisher: Black Moon Books

Print pages: 398

Sample

Chapter One

 

The first thing Olek Koval noticed when he entered the room was that the round table had been replaced with a rectangular gray marble slab. The other heads of the alliance clans sat at one end, staring into their cups, not a greeting amongst them. The second thing he noticed was the enormous painting on the wall of an idyllic olden town that reminded him of the Black Forest.

"Whose fucking funeral did I walk into?" asked Olek, chuckling as he tugged on his black leather jacket.

No one spoke or met his gaze. He frowned and started heading towards the empty chairs at the end, but Lionel Diaz, the leader of Demon Dogs, pulled out a chair next to him. The grave expression on the man's face put a hitch in his step. Olek took the offered seat even if he didn't understand.

"What happened to table?" he asked as he leaned back and crossed his legs, wishing he had a cigarette, but the others always complained about the smoke.

"It's been replaced," said Min Li, head of the Blue Daggers. She had a round, pleasant face. Almost kind if you didn't know better, but he'd seen what she did to those that got in her way, which made him confused about how tense she was, as if there was a gun to her head.

Olek drummed his fingers on the marble. "I liked the round one. It like that old story of the knights and their stupid quests."

He studied their body language. They looked like a group of students who'd been caught cheating and were waiting for the principal to deliver the punishment, which didn't make any sense to Olek, since they were the heads of alliance clans, not weak-kneed schoolchildren.

Olek leaned over and asked Lionel in a quieter voice, "What I miss?"

The curly-haired Spaniard frowned, so Olek added, "I was at my daughter's wedding in Prague. I know about Razor clan. I thought everyone would be happy." He frowned and counted the number at the table, wondering who the final three chairs were meant for. "Who missing? Everyone here, right?"

The sound of a door opening, followed by multiple footsteps, had everyone sitting at attention. Olek glanced around wondering if they'd been drugged, or replaced with doppelgangers. The newcomers entered behind him, and as he started to spin around, Lionel tugged on his jacket, keeping him facing forward.

The first figure was familiar. Olek knew Gregor Anderson by reputation as head of the Black Crows, who until recently had been allied with Razor clan. What he didn't understand was why he was in their territory, or taking a spot at the alliance table.

The other two weren't known to Olek, or even human. Their chalky-gray skin and pinched, sour expressions marked them as maetrie, or city elves. He caught a whiff of coal smoke that was covered up by the heavy cologne

 on Gregor. The first maetrie was broad-shouldered and wearing runed body armor with handguns on each hip. He carried a sheathed sword in his hand rather than having it strapped to his body, which was unusual. The second looked like he'd just come from a corporate board meeting, dressed in an expensive black suit with a striped shirt beneath.

A few seconds after Olek laid eyes upon the maetrie, he felt a wave of euphoria followed by the desire to throw himself at their feet. To combat the aura of the maetrie, Olek pinched his leg using the strength of his topaz, which burst blood vessels and would leave a bruise, but the pain washed away the worst of his subservient feelings.

He understood why his fellow alliance leaders looked like whipped dogs. Money had been flowing into their coffers from an unknown source, and now he saw the reason. What he didn't understand was how this maetrie had already cowed the others, even before he'd arrived.

"Not to be rude," said Olek, leaning on his forearm with a pleasant smile on his lips. He'd always believed that even the harshest words should be delivered with the kindest expressions. "But who the fuck are you?"

The bigger maetrie's hand twitched towards his weapon, but the other one gave a tight shake of the head.

"Olek Koval. I'm sorry we haven't had the pleasure of an introduction since you haven't been in the Undercity as of late. I hope your daughter had a wonderful wedding. I sent along a gift, which I believe she will quite enjoy."

A stone formed in his stomach. Olek's knuckles cracked as he squeezed his hand into a fist.

"I mean no threat," said the maetrie, holding up a hand. "I sent her a jeweled necklace from the Eternal City. A unique piece that she will treasure forever."

"Thank you," said Olek, doubt creeping into his voice, but he didn't unclench his fist.

"My apologies that we didn't have a chance to meet earlier, but I wanted to keep my presence, shall we say, hidden until the proper moment. Events with Razor clan progressed faster than intended due to some unforeseen betrayals, forcing my hand."

His smile might have been considered generous if he were human, but on the gaunt cheeks of the maetrie, it appeared ghoulish.

"My name is Dominion Thule. While you were absent, the alliance clans anointed me their leader, which I gratefully accepted," he said, holding a hand over his heart.

"We didn't have a leader before," said Olek.

"Which is why you failed to dislodge either Razor or Drops from their lofty positions. My guidance, even from afar, did more to improve the prospects of your clans than the muddled response that you'd assembled thus far."

"I didn't vote for you," said Olek.

"I'm sure you would have given the opportunity," said Dominion with a faint smile.

Olek glanced to his fellow clan leaders. "Is this true?"

The few that dared to look up gave him a tight nod before returning to their head bowed positions. Olek wished he hadn't been at his daughter's wedding during this critical time. He'd missed too much and now he was playing from behind and without important information.

"What's the plan?" he asked, meeting Dominion's gaze, which took all of his self-control.

The corner of the maetrie's eyes creased while his mouth stayed a thin line.

"Razor is eliminated, but unfortunately, Drops remains. Our first task is to deal with this final holdout."

Olek gestured wildly. "Shouldn't be too hard between alliance and the Crows. The biggest worry we had before was that whoever acted first would get wiped out by the last."

"I do hope that it's as easy as you say," said Dominion coolly. "But the strength of Razer

joined with the Drops. We may have the numbers but their warriors are worth five times ours. Even with my additional support." He nodded to the big armored maetrie at his side. "We cannot make a frontal attack on the Drops."

"You want to have the entire Undercity under your control," said Olek.

"You are perceptive," said Dominion with an amused eyebrow raise.

"Why you?" Olek checked back with his fellow alliance leaders. "Why were you elected leader when we never had one before?"

"Because despite your petty stratagems, your scheming and backstabbing, you humans have barely scratched the surface of what the maetrie carry out every day in the Eternal City. I promise you, Olek Koval, that with me you'll be richer than you ever were before once we have control of the Undercity and, with it, the faez crystal trade."

"And then?"

"That's for me to decide."

Olek nodded, even if he didn't entirely understand.

"But that's not why I called you all here," said Dominion, leaning back in his chair with his hands flat on the marble. He studied each person at the table in turn. When Dominion's gaze settled on Olek, he felt himself wanting to crawl beneath the table.

"I should be discussing our strategy, but recent events from individuals in this room have distracted me. I could be telling you about the trap I've laid for the Drops, one that is currently in motion, but instead I'm forced to discuss the importance of honesty. I know that sounds rich after my little speech about the machinations of the maetrie, but there's scheming to take down your enemies, whoever they might be, and then there's foolish defiance, or petty grabs for insignificant baubles when larger treasures could be enjoyed."

Dominion stared right at Olek, which had him leaning back in his chair as if he couldn't get far enough away. He wanted to reach for the gun in his jacket pocket, but the hulking maetrie at Dominion's side told him he'd never reach it.

"Olek. I understand your arrogance. Maybe even respect it. You don't know me, nor my reputation," said Dominion as if they were discussing how to have their steaks cooked. "But I can tell you that I will not allow it to continue for the sake of this new organization. If you display such wanton petulance on a regular basis then all respect for each other will

turn to ash."

The maetrie nodded towards his bodyguard, who pulled a hammer from the back of his black pants and slid it across the marble table. It stopped right before Olek. The tool wasn't the claw hammer of basic home maintenance, but a heavier one used for driving stakes into the ground.

"As a token of your regret and newfound fealty to me, you'll pick up that hammer and use it in one of two ways. You can either turn to Lionel, who has been stealing from me and our organization, and put that hammer through his face using the strength of your topaz, or you can take it and smash the smallest finger on your hand until it is nothing but pulp."

"What?"

The words slipped out of Olek's mouth at the same time Lionel tried to leave his seat, but the maetrie bodyguard pointed the sheathed weapon at the Spaniard's chest.

"You'll decide now or I'll decide for you," said Dominion.

Olek reached for the hammer as Lionel said, "I won't do it again. We always take a little from each other when we're transporting goods. It wasn’t much."

He looked to his fellow clan leaders for support. Olek held the hammer in his fist. No one spoke nor moved to stop him. While he knew that Lionel would stab him in the back if given an opportunity, even as their alliance had prospered because they'd set aside their disagreements to focus on the bigger fish in the Undercity, Olek didn't like being used as a tool. The reason he'd fought his way to the top of his clan had been so he never had to take orders from another person.

"I don't—"

What happened next was so fast Olek barely had time to process it before it was too late. Two things happened at once: the first was the hulking maetrie pulled the sword from the sheath in a quick motion, and the second was, while steel was still ringing through the air, Dominion leapt upon the marble table and accepted the blade. Olek barely had the time

to flinch as blood splattered across his face. He turned to find Lionel's head sliding from his body, the thump on the carpet like a coconut falling from a tree.

With his legs spread and still wielding the sword, Dominion looked down upon Olek and said, "The choice has been made for you."

Olek glanced briefly to his fellow alliance members before shaking his head and uttering a curse.

"Fuck."

Olek slammed the hammer on his left pinky with the force of his topaz, the impact shattering the bone and turning the flesh to pulp. He grimaced away the pain as Dominion returned to his place at the head of the table, leaving the bloody sword in his fist.

 

Chapter Two

 

The false breeze pushed past Duro's skin. It was barely enough to upset the fine hairs on his forearms. He held up a flat hand. The others stopped silently, except for one. Duro turned his head, meeting gazes with Xylos, who was right behind him. The younger clan member gave a tight nod, accepting his responsibility for the scuffed foot. The other two, Adrenalynne and Brazio, stayed motionless waiting for his instruction.

Duro found it hard to believe that he was sneaking through the Undercity with a patrol group nearly entirely composed of former Razor members. Yet he had no fear that they would betray him. The wounds of the attack on the Machi were still fresh in their eyes and in the tightness of their jaws. Besides, their honor, once they had given their oaths to Daraja, was lock tight. They would sacrifice themselves for their new clan as quickly as they would have the old.

He flashed hand signals, but in seeing their confusion, he realized that not all of them translated between the clans. Some were unique. Duro mouthed the words, "Others ahead."

After they nodded, Duro continued through the uneven tunnel that had never been widened or made flat since it headed north to the alliance areas. He leapt up, grabbed a handhold on the wall, and shimmied through a tight gap. On the other side, he pulled his blades and waited, even though he knew no one was nearby. But it was one thing to know, and it was another to doubt. The knowledge that a maetrie named Dominion Thule was behind the alliance clans and the Crows' betrayal made Duro more cautious, because the city elves had ways and methods that even he didn't understand. Duro had had few interactions with the city elves in the past, but their reputation and the events that had transpired only four days ago proved that they shouldn't be underestimated. And unlike Daraja, he believed everything Pandora had told them about her relatives. He knew a warrior when he saw one.

Once everyone was through the gap, they climbed at an angle towards the entrance. When he reached the top, Duro duck-walked forward to keep a low profile and peered over the edge at the massive cavern beneath.

Fungus glow along with the waterfall that crashed into the pool on the opposite side gave the space an ethereal feel. When he'd been a young warrior with dreams of glory and little regard for his own safety, he would sneak away from the Pajot and swim in the pool when he grew frustrated with the pace of his progress. The water was ice cold, but there was a carpet of moss that covered the edge of the pool, which made it a great place to lounge after a dip.

He knew the place like the holes in his heart and so he immediately knew that something was wrong. He spotted an object at the center of the cavern

on a flat area. It was about the size of a person, wrapped in gauze like a funeral shroud. As Brazio stepped onto the ledge, he nodded towards the object, studying the former warleader of the Razor clan for his reaction.

Brazio frowned at the object then flashed a sign, asking, "Danger?"

The sense that someone was nearby was no longer present. Duro expanded his amber to its maximum range. If someone was in the cavern, they were hiding themselves with sorcerous means. He gave a shrug. To reach the cavern floor would require a fifty-foot climb down a difficult stretch, which made their position extremely defensible. Given the lack of understanding of the Drops' signs, Duro decided it was acceptable to speak out loud.

"I don't think anyone is here now, but they were recently. Maybe even a few minutes ago," said Duro softly.

Xylos leaned on a rocky protrusion, peering into the cavern. "What is that?"

"A body, you dumbass," said Adrenalynne, rolling her eyes.

The woman was the least "Razor" of any that he'd met, with piercings and tattoos and a shaved head. She fit in more easily with the Drops and their practiced disregard of social norms.

Xylos screwed up his face before it smoothed away to understanding.

"Oh."

"Are we going down?" asked Adrenalynne.

Her face was nicked with a few scars, but was otherwise smooth and bore the freshness of youth. Duro couldn't remember when he was like that, even though he knew he had been once.

"Eventually."

"I'll go," said Brazio with a hunger in his gaze.

Duro gestured to the younger waku. "There are entrances to the northwest and to the east by the waterfall. I want you each to cover one."

As the two waku descended the cliff face without ropes, Duro turned to his counterpart.

While officially Brazio was a step below him, Duro saw him as his equal. No one else in the Undercity concerned him if it came to a scrap.

"Are you sure?" asked Duro, the question not about the danger, but what he would find beneath the shroud.

"I need to know."

"It's likely a trap," said Duro.

Brazio looked away briefly, the corners of his mouth deepening with wrinkles. Shadows haunted his expression. "Likely."

"I can go. I know it hasn't even been five days," said Duro.

"They gave me new blood," said Brazio with dark circles around his eyes. He looked tired. Duro would have preferred that he hadn't come along, but he hadn't wanted to hurt the man's pride by refusing him.

"That's not what I mean."

Brazio checked over the edge at the two waku who were just reaching the cavern floor. As they hurried across the stone, he asked, "What do you think?"

"Good warriors. Xylos isn't as disciplined, but I would be happy to fight with him at my side."

"What about the Academy? You've had a chance to watch them train," said Duro.

"I have nothing but respect for your warriors, our warriors." Brazio shook his head. "You know what I mean. But we won't survive this if they can't become true warriors in their own right. Even these two, as talented as they are, I could kill without much effort. We're outnumbered and cut off from most of our sources of stones, while the alliance is finding new ones all the time."

"The nervous student, the one your nephew keeps as one of his friends, he has one of them," said Duro.

"Tiger's eye is what they're calling it, though the stone isn't orange, nor is he a warrior. I was surprised when he attuned to an amber," said Brazio.

"You don't think we have enough good warriors," said Duro.

"No," said Brazio. "But we could, if we can push them beyond their limits. The girl Pandora has skills."

"And your nephew and daughter. There are a few others I can see with promise."

"We need more than a few," said Brazio. "Even the ones that finished the Academy need more work."

"What are you suggesting?"

Brazio sighed. "I don't know yet. The stones are still so new. We only learned recently about how adrenaline helps people attune easier. There are other aspects of the faez crystals we surely don't know."

Duro gestured towards his forearm, which had Brazio checking his own. The black lines on his wrist peeked from beneath his sleeve.

"I'll be fine."

"Have you had that before?" asked Duro.

Brazio shook his head. "No. It might be from losing all my blood. Maybe it has something to do with attunement." He checked back to the cavern. "They're in place."

Duro chuckled. "You know the students have been talking about us."

Brazio screwed up his face. "About what?"

"Wondering who would win in a duel."

Brazio nodded. "I've thought about it a time or two. Not seriously. Maybe when this is over."

"When this is over," said Duro, nodding. "If you want to..."

"I do."

As Brazio climbed over the edge, Duro said, "Tonight we should discuss training. I agree that we should do things differently. The other way was too slow."

"Tonight," said Brazio before disappearing below the edge.

As the former Razor moved towards the shrouded body, Duro focused his attention on it. They both agreed it was a trap, but in what way? He had a good idea of who was in the wrappings. It was the reason Brazio had come. Maybe it was simply to enrage Brazio, as he was known for his temper during a fight. To get him to do something stupid. But Duro didn't see that in the man. He'd taken his brother's counsel for years without overstating his hand. He was aggressive in battle, but not reckless. Duro had seen warriors with a death wish. Either they mistakenly

 thought themselves invincible, or the bloodlust made them foolish. Brazio was neither.

The older warrior—Brazio was at least a decade his senior—approached the shrouded body. His focus was entirely on the object. Duro watched from the ledge, sifting through his senses with the amber. There was something off about the wrappings, or the placement—he wasn't sure. Brazio checked back as if he sensed the same thing. Duro gave him the sign for "Caution, move slow."

Brazio reached the wrapped body. He stared at it as if he'd approached a casket during a funeral. The older warrior put his hand onto the gauze. Even Duro could tell that he'd set the lightest touch. There was no guarantee that it was Niran Santos beneath the wrappings, but why else would they have left the body? On the other hand, there'd been no communication. In the wars of his youth, bodies had been returned after a negotiation, and sent with an honor guard, depending on the station of the deceased. If this truly was Brazio's brother, there should have been a formal handover, probably in the Terreno. Either the alliance's new leader, Dominion Thule, didn't understand their customs, or didn't care. Or it wasn't Niran, but a lesser warrior that had gone unaccounted for.

As Brazio pulled out a blade to cut the shroud from the head, Duro's adrenaline raced into the stratosphere for no obvious reason. It took all his self-control not to tell Brazio to get away. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong, only that it was.

When Brazio put a hand on the body to steady it, there was a wobble that even Duro could see. Brazio checked back, then crouched down to look beneath the body. It was only then that Duro knew what was wrong. It wasn't flat. Something had been placed beneath the shroud, likely a bomb that would trigger when the weight was released.

Duro was opening his mouth to shout when the bomb went off. Even from a hundred meters away, he threw himself to the ground as the concussive wave ripped through the cavern. As soon as it passed, Duro scrambled down the cliff and sprinted to the location where the bomb had gone off. Bits of gauze floated in the air. Pieces of the body were splattered against the stalactites. He waved away the younger waku, giving non-verbal instructions to return to their posts.

Brazio was curled into a ball beneath the ledge where the body had been placed. His skin shimmered from dark gray to his normal lightly tanned color. His eyes refocused.

"I don't think the black diamond protects from concussions," said Duro, breathing relief that Brazio had survived.

The older warrior climbed to his feet tentatively. "I'm in your debt for suggesting the black diamond for me. It was a generous offer considering we'd been enemies only a week before."

"There's no time for half-measures," said Duro.

Brazio leaned on the stone platform. "Do you think it was my brother?"

Duro checked around the cavern until he spotted what looked to be the head. Crouched down and using his blade to cut the gauze, ...