Normally a fantoii is not strong enough to cut through studded leather when the blow is just from the shoulder, but Faoii are trained to use momentum and pressure points to give their weap- ons extra potency. With the combined momentum of her sprint and entire body spin, the thin blade sliced through the man’s skin under his arm and then continued for more than half of his chest piece. As the fantoii caught in the leather, she yanked it out, her continuous momentum carrying her just under 180 degrees around. Here Kaiya crouched, her back to the man and her blade at her side, his blood dripping from it onto the painted rug.
Then it hit her.
It had felt so right to have a shield mate again that Kaiya had not thought about whether Tendaji was capable or even willing to defend her. The maneuver she had just performed left a Faoii exposed and vulnerable to her opponent, as it would take precious seconds to readjust her stance so that she could roll forward and out of the way. It was the shield mate’s job to finish the weakened adversary off before his sword could fall. Even as she rebalanced and centered herself onto the balls of her feet, Kaiya was painfully aware that at her back there was a wounded man with his sword raised high. And she’d just entrusted her life to a Croeli.
Before she could even finish the thought, the metal sword rang out as it hit something solid. Kaiya tumbled forward and away from the armed guard. There was a sickly sluck sound, then a grunt and a heavy thud. Out of the corner of her eye, Kaiya saw a sword fall limply to the floor as she gathered her feet back under her. Another thump came a second later as Kaiya rose with one swift motion. She glanced down. A bloody candlestick lay next to her foot. Emery had jammed his knife into the other man’s throat, and he gurgled a weak call for aid. Kaiya wondered whether dead soldiers would heed the call, because there were no living to hear.
“Blades. I wish they hadn’t been here.” Her voice was quiet as she used her fantoii to cut the dying man’s femoral artery. He passed quickly.
“Do you regret having killed them?” Tendaji asked quietly, his crystalline eyes intense.
“No. We needed to kill them to escape. But I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to hunt them down. They were only doing their jobs.”
“If we had not killed them, they would have only continued to aid the false king, and in doing so further hurt your people.” Tendaji shook his head at her as he bent to retrieve one of the fallen swords. “Why are Faoii always ready to decide who lives and dies without seeing the consequences? Sometimes, the enemy must be taken down or people suffer.” He sighed at Kaiya’s infuriated glare as she rifled the soldiers’ pockets.
“I cannot hate a man for a crime they have not yet committed,” she whispered as she straightened and lugged one of the bodies onto her shoulder. Emery opened the hatch for her, and she tossed the corpse into the pantry below.
“If you know a man is going to kill his wife and you do nothing, you are as heartless as he, Faoii.” Tendaji’s voice softened as he helped her roll the other body. Kaiya tried not to notice the crunch she heard as he bent at the waist. “I know it sounds heartless, but the Croeli . . . we used to swear an Oath before Thinir came into power. We knew our duty and we did not shy away from it.” He nearly smiled as she spoke, his words tinted with a nearly forgotten power. “We were the harbingers of justice and truth. We were the strength of the weak and the voice of the silent. Our blades were our arms, and as such were the arms of all people. Wherever we were, so would a weapon against injustice always be. We were ready to perform our duty for the weak at all times.” Kaiya froze, half bent at the waist with one arm on the trap door. She broke out into a cold sweat as she pushed the body down.
Tendaji turned to her and his eyes were stern. “If someone is alive now and they will be murdered later, the injustice is still part of the Unbroken Tapestry’s glorious weave. If a good man is going to eventually burn down a schoolhouse, then the evil must be purged as soon as possible. We were taught to be ready at all times, Faoii. Even before a fateful event occurs.” Kaiya couldn’t move.
She had never heard the Oath from a man’s lips before.
When Tendaji said we, she knew he meant the other Croeli, but did he realize that he could be talking about her just as easily? Her stomach rolled.
“We need to go,” she finally whispered, willing her voice to break the chill that shrouded her. Tendaji nodded and turned toward the door.
*~*
Emery was thorough. As promised, all of Kaiya’s possessions had been loaded into a caravan-worthy wagon just outside the tax collector’s plush abode. He ushered the fugitives out with a jerk of his head and held up the edge of a weatherworn tarp. Kaiya ducked under it, folding a knee underneath her on the warped wood of the wagon’s bottom. Crouching thus, she kept a wary lookout as Tendaji mounted and leaned his back against the wagon’s side. His complexion was decidedly greyer than it had been in the castle’s cellar, and Kaiya felt a pang of worry. She looked away from his bulging rib and bleeding back and locked eyes with Emery. There was fear there, but he tightened his jaw and gave a quick, furtive nod. Then the tarp was secured and darkness prevailed.
The ride was not as unpleasant as it could have been, though with every jarring bump Kaiya could not help but glance to the silhouette across from her. Sometimes a pained gasp would tear from Tendaji’s lips, but mostly there was only silence.
Kaiya must have dozed off, because a sudden, harsh whisper woke her.
“Faoii-Kaiya.” She mumbled a reply and began drifting off again, comforted by the steady rocking of the carriage. “Kai!” The whisper was fiercer now, and Kaiya forced the sleep from her eyes and looked to where Tendaji’s silhouette could just be seen. His posture was rigid and tense. “We are going toward the docks rather than the city gates. Where is your friend taking us?” Kaiya blinked twice, pulling her brows together.
“He . . . he never said.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously, fully awake now. “But I can find out.”
With careful movements, Kaiya crept toward the front of the wagon. The tarp was secure, but with a flick of her wrist the fantoii slit its side. She poked her head through.
“Harkins!” The hiss was louder than she’d intended, and the young soldier nearly leapt out of his seat. He quickly transferred the reins to one hand and twisted around to face her. Kaiya made an effort to soften her voice. “Where are we going?”
“Where . . .? Why, to the other Faoii, ma’am.” He spoke as though the answer was obvious. Kaiya stared at him as though he’d just sprouted feathers. Her head swam as she tried to process this new information. “Are you all right, Faoii?”
Finally, Kaiya’s tongue felt like it could work again, and she managed a stuttered reply. “The other . . . There’s another . . . ?” She pulled her head back through the tarp and stumbled her way back to where Tendaji sat. She felt his eyes upon her but could only sink down next to him, her stupor not yet faded. Finally, in a bliss she was not sure she’d ever feel again, she sighed.
“There’s another Faoii. I’m not alone.”
Tendaji chuckled. “Alone? No. I suppose you wouldn’t be, would you?”
10
There was no question that the leader of the docks was Faoii. Kaiya could feel her presence even before she was in sight. There was an aura that surrounded her hidden barracks, a clamminess in the air that could not be expalined away by the putrid sewers beneath the docks. But it was not the hush of terror or tyranny, nor was the clamminess chilled with evil intent. Instead, it was like a machine, so well-oiled that the idea of stepping out of one's station was unthinkable, and thus Kaiya, Tendaji, and Emery were led through a maze of statuesque soldiers and twisting sewers that were completely silent except for the sound of dripping water and their booted feet.
Faoii-Eili was a large, brusque woman. Her mouth was set in a perpetual scowl, which could only be partially credited to the mass of deep scars that covered the left side of her face. A milk-white eye gazed unnervingly through the web of scar tissue, and the remaining azure ey
e softened for only a fraction of a second when she saw Kaiya.
“Hail, Sister.” Kaiya was surprised at being recognized despite her attire. A dust-colored tunic and bare legs hardly represented the Faoii. However, she diligently fisted her hands and bowed her head.
“May Illindria guide your battles, Faoii-Eili.”
The unscarred side of Eili’s mouth twitched. “My soldiers told ya my name, did they? Stupid. Don’t know nothin’ about custom.” There was humor and fondness that echoed in her voice despite the rough tone, but Faoii-Eili spat to one side for good measure as she guided Kaiya to a dry platform furnished with a rough-hewn table and chairs. “What’s yer name, girl?”
“I am Faoii-Kaiya of the Monastery of the Eternal Blade.” Kaiya glanced around. The sewer system was old, and it looked like they were in a section that was no longer used regularly. While the clearing they were in was only sparsely furnished, Kaiya could smell wood smoke and roasting meat somewhere nearby. Quiet whispers and laughter echoed down the tunnel. Despite herself, Kaiya could not help but feel awed by this hardened Faoii, who had created a sanctuary for a rebellion in the very heart of the Croeli empire.
“Faoii-Kaiya? Yer ascended, then? Youngin’ ain’t ya? But no matter. What brings an ascended to this rotten city?”
“I . . .” Kaiya wasn’t sure what to say. “I came for help.” The words sounded small and weak. Faoii-Eili let out a barking laugh. “So ya came here? To a broken king on a tarnished throne? Poor girl. What could ya possibly have expected to find here?” There was no sympathy in Eili’s voice as she gazed at Kaiya with a sort of matronly disdain. Kaiya took a deep breath and met the woman’s stare.
“I didn’t know about the king, and when the rest of my monastery—” Kaiya stopped short as Faoii-Eili’s eyes suddenly sharpened and focused on something behind Kaiya’s right shoulder. Adamant hatred darkened her features, and the table shook as she stood with a violent jerk. With roughly the same amount of ceremony a rhino shows when it charges, Faoii-Eili shoved Kai to one side and drew her fantoii.
Immediately aware of the battle spells woven into the air, Kaiya spun around just in time to see Tendaji limp his way into view. Her eyes widened and darted to Faoii-Eili’s hand. The fantoii glinted in the torchlight.
“You’ve been followed!” Faoii-Eili’s scream rang through the darkened tunnels, and Kaiya barely had time to register the blonde warrior’s swift attack. Always at the ready, Tendaji had dropped into an unsteady crouch as the scarred Faoii sprinted for him.
Kaiya cursed herself as she sprang forward. She had only been in the sewers for a few minutes and had already shredded what little bit of trust she could expect from the only other Faoii in existence. She should have known better than to let a Croeli follow her before she’d had a chance to explain. Her anger at herself and her fear for the coming fight spurred Kaiya forward, and with a passionate cry, she leapt outward, colliding with the armored woman’s back. Her unclad shoulder immediately protested the collision with Eili’s bronze breastplate.
Both women stumbled, and Kaiya used her momentum to tumble forward, spinning as she landed. She crouched defensively in front of Tendaji as Faoii-Eili regained her feet. There was no repressing the rippling growl that leaked between her lips, and Kaiya was surprised at herself. Would she really be willing to raise her blade against another Faoii sister in order to save a Croeli?
Always ready to decide who lives and dies. Wasn’t that what Tendaji had said? She would have chuckled if the situation wasn’t so dire.
“Stop!” Kaiya’s hiss was more feline than she had intended, but she willed all the power she could muster into it. It cut through the air and rang against the walls. Faoii-Eili just barely faltered in her tracks. Seeing her opportunity, Kaiya lashed out with her left hand, the movement blurring. Viperlike, her dark fingers wrapped tightly around Faoii-Eili’s pale wrist and squeezed. Eili’s fantoii clattered to the floor.
Without breaking eye contact, Kaiya used her calves to push herself upward. Rising slowly, she met the older woman’s toxic gaze.
“He is with me. And he is wounded. You cannot hurt him.” Faoii-Eili’s piercing stare only darkened, dripping venom, but Kaiya forced herself to meet it. Finally, the veteran warrior yanked her wrist from Kaiya’s grip as though her fingers were simply paper. Kaiya’s hand hung in the air awkwardly for a moment before she slowly let it drop. The two women stood in silence for a long moment, eyeing each other with distrust.
“You ain’t lyin’.” There was a hint of surprise in Faoii-Eili’s ragged tone. “You actually believe this Croeli bastard’s an ally.” She looked down at her wrist. Kaiya was ashamed to see bruises already forming on the pale skin. “And you’ve been well-trained. If yer a traitor, yer a skilled one.” With a seemingly effortless flick of her arm but with the full magical force of an ascended Faoii, Faoii-Eili’s open palm slammed against Kaiya’s face with a re- sounding smack. Kaiya rolled her head with the strike, but she still felt her cheekbone crack under the blow. Slowly, she brought her face around to look Faoii-Eili in the eyes again.
“I’m no traitor.” She paused, but Faoii-Eili only continued to stare. “I’m no traitor, but I do owe this man my life. He’s no threat to us.” Eili’s entire body tensed.
“Us?” Eili spat. “Us? You’ve been in my territory for less than five minutes and have brought the Faoii’s oldest enemy with you. What in Illindria’s graces could possibly make you believe there’s an us, girl?” Kaiya could have cut the tension between them with her fantoii.
“Because we are the last of the Faoii. If we don’t work together, there will be no more to follow after us. Ever.” Kaiya held the woman’s gaze, aware of the anger, the distrust, and the faintest hint of fear in Faoii-Eili’s eye.
It seemed like an eternity before the battle-hardened woman finally broke the silence that stretched out between them.
“What’s happened?”
“Let me tend to my friend and I will tell you everything.”
Eili narrowed her eyes dangerously before glancing back at Tendaji. He approached cautiously. With an impatient wave of her hand, Faoii-Eili bent over to pick up her fantoii and intentionally turned her back on the Croeli visitor. “Sing yer song then, girl. I won’t stop ya.” Kaiya faltered. Her uncertainty and confusion must have been clear, because Faoii-Eili released another barking laugh. “All yer training next to Cleroii and Preoii, and you never learned a single healin’ song? You daft, girl? Daydreamin’ in chapel?” With an impatient jerk of her chin, Faoii-Eili motioned Tendaji to a ledge nearby. He slinked toward it, keeping his eyes toward the Faoii and his back to the sewer wall. Finally, he sat gingerly, eyeing her as a hawk eyes a mouse, or possibly the other way around. Her gaze matched his perfectly.
Without preamble, Faoii-Eili spread her fingers as though she was standing in front of a fire on a snowy night. Her song welled forward like ice cracking against a shore.
The song was nothing like what Kaiya had heard in chapel. The words did not flow; they were not beautiful or even comforting. Instead they were clipped and short, and the spell shot through the air like icy arrows. Kaiya remembered the Cleroii songs. They had drifted through the air like silken ribbons. In contrast, this spell made her wince.
Tendaji’s head snapped backward as the spell struck him, and Kaiya started forward, but an angry glance from Eili stopped her. Stomach churning, she watched in silence as Tendaji’s mishealed rib snapped back into its regular place.
Faoii-Kaiya was not sure how long the healing lasted, but try as she might, she could not look away from it. The reopened scars on his back restitched themselves in jerky movements, stretching and pulling as necessary. When the song finally ended with a clipped note, she was trembling as much as Tendaji, but he made no protest. Grimacing around clenched teeth, his pale blue eyes met the icy stare of Faoii-Eili’s remaining iris.
Finally, he whispered, “Thank you.”
One did not need to be trained in the Sight to see the
surprise that registered on Eili’s face. She hid it almost immediately, however, and glowered at the panting man. “Stand up, Croeli.”
Even Kaiya was caught off guard by the demand, but Tendaji only exhaled slowly and rose, one arm still wrapped around his aching side. Eili’s stare stretched into eternity.
“Who are you?” The question was cold, biting. Tendaji squared his shoulders.
“I am the outcast Croeli-Tendaji-Tendir.” “Croeli-Tendaji? Yer ascended, then?”
“Yes. Though it is likely that the title no longer applies.”
“What’s the Tendir on the end of yer name?”
“The name of my superior officer. Our people attach the name to our rank.”
Eili thought about this new bit of information for a moment, then continued, “You are dark-skinned. Are the others in your tribe of the same complexion?”
The Last Faoii Page 8
