“Lilia?”
Catching her breath she looked down at Anyi. The girl’s eyes were open. Lilia’s heart leapt with joy and relief.
“You’re alive! You’re alive.” Lilia lay down next to Anyi and pulled her close. “How are you feeling?”
“Awful. But not as bad as I think that bitch is – if she’s still alive.”
“You saw that?”
“Yeah. Thought I was dreaming.” Anyi’s lips were still tinged with blue. She frowned. “Is Skellin dead?”
Lilia looked over to the Thief, lying still a few paces away. “He looks it, but he could just be exhausted. Either way, he can’t harm us.”
“Do me a favour and check.”
Looking around, she saw that the crew were giving them a wide berth. Reluctantly, Lilia got up and walked over to Skellin. His face was locked in an expression of pain and surprise. He wasn’t breathing. Touching him, she sensed no energy within him. Deader than dead. But I hadn’t finished draining him when Lorandra cut Anyi’s throat. Remembering how she had drawn power in order to break Lorandra’s shield, she realised where she had drawn it from. She’d defeated Lorandra with Skellin’s power.
Lilia looked over the railing. She had expected to see Lorandra’s body floating nearby, but there was no sign of it. She returned to Anyi and sat down. “Yes. He’s dead. The Guild isn’t going to be happy about that.”
Anyi made a rude noise.
“Not because of roet,” Lilia said. “They wanted to find out who his allies are, especially those in the Guild.”
“Don’t worry,” Anyi scowled. “Father will find who they are.”
Lilia’s breath caught in her throat. She doesn’t know...
Anyi’s eyes went wide. “He... he wasn’t pretending, was he?”
Biting her lip, Lilia shook her head.
A look of pain creased Anyi’s face. She swore. But as Lilia reached out to embrace her, Anyi shook her head, her face hardening. “Time for that later. We still have a lot to do, and we can’t let... Father made sure what was done to his family made him stronger, not weaker. I have to be strong, too.” Anyi pushed herself up onto her elbows, but her face went even paler and she sank back down again.
“Rest,” Lilia told her. “You’ve lost a lot of blood and your body needs time to make more.”
“How long will that take?”
Lilia shrugged. “I’m not sure. A few days, maybe.” She smiled sadly at Anyi’s grimace of impatience. I fear it’ll take a lot longer for her heart to mend than her body, though. “You need food and water. Rothen will be here any moment.” She craned her neck to see that the other vessel was drawing alongside the ship.
Anyi nodded. Looking around, Lilia spotted the tattered clothing she had been wearing. “I should get dressed.”
“Yes. Why did Skellin make you strip down to your underclothes?” One of Anyi’s eyebrows rose. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Just making sure I wasn’t carrying a knife.”
“Sounds strange, a magician worrying about knives when people who carry knives usually fear magic, but I guess black magic turns things around a bit.”
“Not any more.” As Anyi frowned, Lilia shook her head. “I’ll explain later.”
—Osen? The battle has started. I can hear sounds and flashes of light several streets away.
—Can you see the fighting?
—No. What about Dannyl?
—He contacted me to say they’ve arrived at Achati’s place, but I’ve heard nothing since then. The house is on the parade, so they’ll only see the battle if the Ashaki have to retreat.
—Do you want me to try getting closer?
—No. Stay where you are. Keep the ring on. Dannyl is sure to put his on soon, and I suspect having both of you wearing rings will be a bit... overwhelming, though Naki’s mind-read-blocking ring appears to be protecting me from your thoughts.
Sonea looked down at the other ring on her finger. She hadn’t told him about slipping away from the house that the Traitors’ guards had told them to stay in. If all went well, she wouldn’t have to.
The Traitors are only worried that we’ll interfere. So long as I don’t, I think they’ll forgive me for wanting to know what happens to my son.
The trouble was, she was no closer to seeing Lorkin than she had been earlier. She was going to have to rely on Dannyl to show her what was happening. And he wouldn’t be able to, if the Ashaki didn’t fall back. If they didn’t it would mean they were winning.
Not for the first time that morning, she felt anxiety rising up like a suffocating wave. Taking a deep breath, she pushed it away and weighed up her options. Could she get a little closer, without putting Regin in danger or the future relationship between the Allied Lands and Sachaka?
From the roof of Achati’s house Dannyl could see the city spread around him, but mostly it was a view of rooftops. He could guess at where the battle was, however. The rumble and crack of strikes impacting on shields or stone echoed across the city. Smoke billowed up from a building at least a thousand paces away, flashes of magic constantly brightening the cloud’s underbelly.
“Do you think Achati’s slaves will be all right, if the Traitors win?” Merria asked. “Or will they be killed for remaining loyal?”
“I fear the latter is more likely,” Tayend replied.
“Could we protect them?”
“You will have to ask the Guild. Dannyl?”
“Soon,” Dannyl replied, not taking his eyes from the distant signs of battle. “Osen will be with King Merin and the Higher Magicians. I don’t want to distract him again until there’s something to report.”
But that wasn’t the only reason Dannyl was hesitating. Once he put Osen’s blood ring on he would have to push aside all thought of Achati, and he wasn’t sure how long he could keep that up. Especially when Merria and Tayend are talking as if the Traitors will win.
“They’re getting closer,” Merria said.
No, Dannyl thought, looking at the cloud of smoke. It’s no nearer. Achati is safe. But was Lorkin? He felt a pang of anxiety, then a bitterness. As Tayend said, no matter which way this goes, something bad will come of it.
“I think you’re right,” Tayend replied. “The flashes were lighting the underside of the pillar of smoke before. Now they’re lighting this side of it.”
Dannyl’s stomach sank as he saw Tayend was correct. Maybe the Ashaki will gather their strength and regain ground again. Maybe the Traitors will run out of magic.
His companions were silent for a long time as nothing else happened to indicate any change in the battle. Then a building halfway between the parade and the distant smoke cloud sank out of sight. The boom and rumble followed a heartbeat later, then dust billowed up. Merria gasped. Tayend muttered a curse.
“Maybe this isn’t the safest place to be,” Tayend said in a thin voice. “If they get this far.”
“We’ll be fine,” Merria said, the waver in her voice betraying her lie. “We’ll just levitate away.”
“I guess I should stay close, then.”
“We should all stay close together,” Merria agreed.
As the pair moved to stand on either side of him, Dannyl glanced at them, amused that they should be drawn to him for protection. It made sense that Tayend would. Though Merria was a magician, Dannyl had been close to Tayend for a long time. But Merria should have the confidence of knowing she could protect herself.