by Halie Fewkes
Fearful hesitation mixed into Tarace’s loathing, and he slowly lowered his shoulders. “What do you want?” he asked.
Prince Avalask held an open palm toward me and said, “Allie did a pretty good job of explaining. We’re tired of this war, and we’ll give them back as a gesture of good faith in exchange for a truce — a surrender, my uncle wishes to call it.”
Tarace tried to conceal it, but I could see interest in his eyes, a hunger almost. “How specifically do you plan to go about this?”
Prince Avalask stood, and the stacks of paper on Tarace’s desk moved politely to the floor without fuss. Prince Avalask said, “Even among Escalis, it’s well known that Humanity hates their king, and lacking a ruler makes our task difficult. We have to somehow convince every Human city to agree to this truce if it’s to be made.” He focused on Tarace’s desk where scattered points of yellow light gleamed to life.
“But the Dragona’s been the head of continent-wide decisions in the past, and you’re well known because of your father. The other cities may yet listen to you.” A tint of blue crept around the sides of the desk, and I began to recognize the shape of both the main ocean to Tekada and the Breathing Sea. “These points of light are the major cities you’ll need to convince. Tabriel Vale will follow whatever you decide here at the Dragona, obviously, but you’ll need Nella up in Glaria and Jack from Terrintel on your side before you approach the northern cities. Lakama is giving us more problems than you would believe. I’d be surprised if Jory even wants this war to end.”
Prince Avalask had an impressive, but not surprising knowledge of Human cities and their leaders. He’d even lit points of light far into the west, past where I’d ever travelled.
Tarace stared at the desk in silence and Prince Avalask sighed, drumming his fingers impatiently on the blue of the Breathing Sea. “I’ve been trying to put this in a positive light,” he said, “but Tarace, my brothers will kill the children from Dincara if we don’t find something to do with them. If you thought it was painful to lose your city, you’re going to crumble when you see the rest fall because Humanity is too disadvantaged to defend itself.”
Prince Avalask leaned toward him and said, “You don’t even have your second Epic right now, Tarace, while my son is just a few years away from being able to wreak havoc. I hold all the cards to destroy you, and I am here offering you life instead. Don’t. Be. An idiot.”
Two painstaking hours passed as Tarace and Prince Avalask argued over details. Four different people rapped their knuckles against the door during their conversation, and Tarace patiently told each of them to come back in the evening.
Prince Avalask struck me as quite the accomplished negotiator as they spoke, except he refused to even entertain a discussion about Ebby. She was staying with him, and Sir Avery would stop tearing apart Escali cities looking for her, or there was no deal. Tarace was hardly in any place to make demands, so he let that one go and focused more on territories.
I learned more about Human and Escali history in that hour than I’d ever known, regarding which cities had changed hands over the years, which areas had been the most contested, and where the most people had died. Tarace seemed to know every detail of every event that had ever happened, and he wielded his knowledge well, arguing aggressively for every territory, reciting details and reasons it should belong to Humans and not Escalis.
“I think I can reach Terrintel, Glaria, and Lakama by the end of the night, and maybe head west of the river in the morning,” Tarace said. “Give me... until tomorrow afternoon, and I’ll at least bring them to the bargaining table.”
“I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon then,” Prince Avalask said, rising to his feet.
“Wait,” I said, speaking for the first time since the introduction. They both looked at me like I’d been napping. “What about the Escali the Zhauri brought back?”
Tarace glanced between us, and for a moment, I questioned if Tral still lived. “He’s inconsequential,” Tarace said.
“Then we could let him go,” I said. “As a token of our own good will.”
Tarace’s face fell absolutely blank as Prince Avalask said, “I think that would be the perfect beginning to a successful peace. I can take him with me.”
“Certainly,” Tarace said, but his voice sounded so... void, it gave me a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Let’s go get him.”
I leapt to the bottom of an eerily dark staircase and gasped like I’d been submerged in icy water, hunching immediately forward to catch my breath.
“I don’t know why he’s not answering,” Tarace said from above. “He’s down there.”
“And likely dead,” Prince Avalask bit back. “What could have possessed you to turn the third Everarc Cave into a dungeon? I would expect this cruelty from the Zhauri. Not from you.”
I gripped my upper arms tightly and tried to convince my lungs to expand when all my insides seemed to have shriveled.
“It’s not that bad,” Tarace said. “Step inside. See for yourself.”
“Magic is the thread that weaves Escali blood and bone together,” Prince Avalask said in disgust. “I would be no stronger than a child in there. A single Human would be able to subdue me.”
There were three caves like this in the world, where the Everarc Crystals had been excavated, leaving behind caves entirely void of magic. I’d never been inside one, and it was decidedly awful.
“Doenn khahhgna?” Prince Avalask asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, glancing back to them as Prince Avalask nodded his understanding.
It made me sick to think how much worse this would be for an Escali, and how many hours Tral had been stuck here.
“You’ll need this,” Tarace said, tossing a key down to me. I normally would have been able to catch it in my sleep, but my reflexes were sluggish and I barely had my fingers unclenched by the time it clattered to the floor. I coerced them open and closed several times before massaging a little feeling into them, bending carefully to pick up the key.
Four doors dotted the cave walls, three of which gaped open. I felt uncomfortable, knowing we’d turned something so rare into a place of despair, but also relieved only one cell had an occupant.
I twisted the key and stepped quietly inside to see Tral sitting against the opposite wall of the tiny cell, and he was… bleeding.
His arm spikes had been tied tightly to his upper arms so he couldn’t bend his elbows, and then they’d been tied behind his back. Deep gashes marred his arms with some slashed across his neck and face, and I had the feeling I wasn’t even able to see the extent of dried blood and open wounds.
He snarled when he saw me, then muttered, “Isn’t this just fitting.” I distinctly remembered his friend telling him, If the roles were reversed right now, I can guarantee that it would be dragging you.
I held my hands apart, far from the short swords on my belt, and switched immediately to Escalira.
“Gifted favors never go forgotten,” I said, and his face darkened.
He looked at the ceiling and said, “You speak well. Much better than the Human glorsch before you.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, scratching my fingernails into the pads of my thumbs, wishing I could find a more sincere way to express my remorse. “It’s over now. I’m here to let you out.”
He shook his head and said, “You toy with me.” I didn’t see even a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
I pulled my hunting knife slowly off my side and said, “I’m cutting you free.”
He bolted upright in one startling movement, glaring dangerously, daring me to approach him.
I had three ropes to cut through, and I knelt hesitantly to saw at the tie around his left arm spike, freeing his arm to bend once more. I started on the other arm, careful to avoid a deep gash that hadn’t begun healing, and asked, “You remember me?”
He said nothing, breathing deeply, his cloudy eyes boring frightfully through me. I shifted slightly to get around
him and cut the ties off his wrists, incredibly uncomfortable with his teeth so close.
Tral wriggled to get the cut ties off and then looked at his hands as though he’d never expected to see them again. I couldn’t help noticing bloody scabs where his fingernails had once been, and my stomach rolled.
He met my eyes, and I heard a rumble of a growl in his throat before he lunged at me.
I scrambled back with a yelp, but was nowhere near fast enough to get away before he landed on me. I threw a hand over my face to block his teeth, snarling furiously back as I dug my other nails into the gash along his shoulder. He cried out and leapt off, dashing for the open door as I got my feet beneath me.
“What is this?” Tral asked from the dark hall. He must have stopped abruptly.
“It’s real,” I heard Prince Avalask reply. “Come out of the dark.”
I stepped through the door in time to see Tral sink into a pained bow before the Epic, and then he vanished into thin air. Prince Avalask raised his eyebrows, asking if I was alright.
“I’m fine. You can go,” I said, and then Prince Avalask jumped away as well, leaving me with Tarace, whose face was emotionless as a cliff’s.
I climbed from the Everarc Cave and warmth flooded back through me like love and a familiar hearth combined. The feeling was punctured by a stab of guilt as I met Tarace’s empty gaze.
“I assume this has been going on for a while?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “I’ve known Prince Avalask a long time. He’s not the monster we’ve made him out to be.”
Tarace watched me before simply turning to walk away.
“Tarace?” My fingers tingled nervously as he turned back around with no discernible expression. “Can we acknowledge I just put my life in your hands?” I wanted a tip of his head or an understanding sigh, and he gave me nothing. “I guess... I’ll ask you to remember that as you decide what to do about me. I came to you.”
I could see I would be getting nothing from him, so I turned to head back toward the Wreck.
“I have a lot of thinking to do. And quite the list of cities to visit,” Tarace finally said, and when I looked back, he simply looked tired. “If you have any goodbyes you’d like to say, now would probably be a good time,” he added.
I gave him a sad smile in return. “Alright.”
Chapter Twenty One
Allie
Since Tarace had us filling out the large chore chart in the Wreck a month in advance, I knew Liz was supposed to be out digging up potatoes this week, accompanied by a string of hilarious complaints, I’m sure. But as I neared the Wreck, a catchy song echoed out to me, and I found Liz still inside.
She was dancing on a tabletop with Corliss, and I felt the heaviness in my chest loosen as I caught a glimpse of my sister’s gleeful eyes, finally looking alive again as she spun sharply. Three other members of the Travelling Baking Show were hashing out drumbeats as Corliss recanted some funny, rhythmic tale, and Liz shouted specific parts with the rest of the crew when necessary. The Wreck only held ten people at this time of day, but all had smiles on their faces as they adjusted their chairs to watch.
“Your sister’s a natural,” Corliss called to me, laughing as they both turned left in a step-skip-turn and jump. They landed next to each other, arms thrown wide, inviting applause, and I clapped with the rest of the sparse audience. Prince Avalask must have sent Corliss back here as well. She certainly didn’t look like she’d run the whole way.
“Come join us,” Liz said, offering a hand to help me onto the table top. She was out of breath, cheeks red, and her infectious smile hit me hard enough that I felt a pull at the corners of my own lips.
“Actually, I was just on my way out to pull potatoes with you, if you’d like the company.”
Liz looked quickly around herself and said, “I lost track of time.” She leapt lightly from the table and landed beside me. “You disappeared on me for a while there... Now you reappear and want to help me dig for potatoes?”
“No place I’d rather be,” I said, trying to fake a smile as we took off toward the sunny day. “Also, when did you learn to dance?”
Liz shot me a sly, sideways grin. “I sort of became an honorary member of the Travelling Baking Show.”
I snorted a laugh and asked, “When did that happen?”
“A day or two after you disappeared.”
My face fell. Finding out she’d joined the circus was a pretty clear sign that I hadn’t been paying her enough attention.
“I don’t want you to be angry,” she said, “but you and Archie left. Corliss was here, and she’s a lot of fun. I used to be fun too, don’t you remember?”
“I do. And I’m not angry,” I said sincerely. “I’m glad you found something you enjoy. Just… be careful. Cooking’s not exactly in our genes.”
Liz elbowed me in the side and said, “Not in yours, maybe, but I can make ice cream on hot days. I’m a commodity!”
I laughed as she began to tell me all about her ice power, and I found myself clinging to the sound of her voice. This might be the last time I would ever hear it, and that terrified me beyond all other fears.
We neared the dried up field of potatoes, and I jumped as she squeezed my shoulder.
“Where did you go?” she asked, her eyes speaking a language of kindness I didn’t deserve.
I just shook my head as words were hard to find. “Sorry. Just... a lot to think about.”
“Yeah, I figured,” she said. “Which is why I don’t understand why you’re out here pulling potatoes.”
I let out a deep breath, feeling like I’d been holding it in for five minutes. “I... just want to be close to you.” My shoulders sagged beneath the weight of too many secrets, and fear flashed through Liz’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Are you alright?”
I nodded and tried to force a small smile. “I’m fi—”
“You are not fine. It’s written all across your face. You know you can tell me anything, don’t you?” She grabbed my other shoulder and gave me a rough shake. “I could help you, Allie. Why won’t you ever let me?”
I wanted so badly to tell her everything. I couldn’t keep it in. “I think I’m in trouble, Liz,” I said, glad to feel her fingers tighten.
“What happened?”
“I’m... I had a choice to make,” I said, gripping my left hand tightly in my right, watching my knuckles turn white. “I had the chance to fix everything, or watch it all stay the same. And... I tried to fix it.”
“What does that mean, to fix everything?” she asked.
I looked up at her and whispered, “I mean, I had the chance to fix everything.”
She was searching my eyes for answers but stumbled across the worst question instead. “What was the cost?”
I looked straight back into her dark gaze, reminded of my own reflection, and raised my shoulders in a halfhearted shrug. “I don’t know yet.”
I was about to drop my eyes to the ground when they caught on a deep red scratch right below Liz’s throat. “Liz, what happened?” I grabbed the collar of her jerkin as she lurched from my reach. I caught a glimpse of swollen red scrapes all over her chest before she tugged the jerkin up to her chin
“What happened?” I demanded.
She just looked ready to cry. “Liz,” I softened my voice. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, just tell me who did this.”
She shook her head quickly.
“Liz—”
“You did, alright?” she said, rubbing at her neck. “West is gone. And you’ve got me so worried, it hurts... The days have gotten better, but I wake up at night, scratching myself like this.” She curled her nails in around her throat. “I don’t mean to, but I never know where you are. I never know if I’ve just seen you for the last time, and I have these dreams...”
She nearly choked on her words and I closed the distance between us. “I’m sorry,” I said, setting a gentle hand on her arm. “I didn’t realize—”
“Well? Is this it then?” she growled. “This could really be the last time I’ll have you in my life, and we’re out here digging for stupid potatoes?” She kicked at the ground.
“I don’t know,” I said softly. “And… I’m afraid.” She glared at me, demanding I explain. “I don’t want to involve you, in case everything goes wrong. But if it goes the way I’ve planned, then there won’t be any more reason to keep secrets.”
“When?” she asked. “When will all of this be over?”
“By the end of the week,” I said. Because by then, we would either have a truce or the Dincaran kids would attempt their escape. Tarace would either keep my secret or expose me.
“And what am I supposed to do if I lose you?” she asked.
“You won’t,” I said, resolved that this would be a promise I could keep. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but you won’t lose me.”
“Alright,” she said, folding her arms as though warding off cold despite the hot day. “I guess that’s as good as I’ll ever get.”
We really did spend the next hours loading potatoes into buckets under the bright sun. The first hour passed in silence, the second in forced conversation about topics that didn’t matter, and the third was spent sweating and catching up about everything we hadn’t had time to discuss lately. Liz told me legends about the most powerful ice mages over the centuries, and said she aspired to one day use her gift for combat like them. She asked if anything had progressed with Archie, and I reluctantly explained nothing had. We talked about Corliss and her funniest moments, and finally, we talked about the massacre on Tekada.
Liz said the non-mage survivors were scheduled to land in two days, and I had to wonder if Ratuan was somehow aware of that. What a coincidence it was the same day as the escape…
She also said they were bringing back some sort of weapon, but she knew nothing of its nature. I couldn’t even guess why Tekada would send us a weapon to combat the Escalis, after they’d just murdered Humanity’s best defense.
Liz wanted to return to the Wreck, and Prince Avalask had said the Zhauri were hours from the Dragona, so I agreed to come too.
