Blade Singer

by Martha Wells

  Gaudulfus stood a few yards away, holding a smoking musket. The dwarf's usual ruddy complexion had blanched to a deathly pallor. "Coward," he muttered, then collapsed to his knees.

  Etienne ran to his friend's side, catching him before he fell. The dwarf's eyes were half-closed.

  "Gaudulfus! Gaudulfus!"

  Manny flung himself down beside the dwarf, who didn't appear to be breathing. "Is he dead?" Manny asked, suddenly very afraid, a painful lump rising in his throat.

  Adriana touched Gaudulfus’ face, then put her hand just over his nose and mouth. Her expression grim, she said, "He's still alive. Barely. He's lost a great deal of blood." She stripped off her sleeves and used them to staunch the flow from his abdomen. She glanced at Etienne. "What are you waiting for? Go! I'll look after him."

  Etienne got to his feet, his gaze still on Gaudulfus.

  "Go!" said Adriana. "Save the king!"

  He turned and raced through the doorway into the palace.

  Manny jumped to his feet, but Adriana seized his wrist with a bloody hand. "Not you! Stay here."

  "But Etienne needs me! He can't face all those Unseelie alone." He tried to pull free.

  "Manny! You must listen to me for once!" The desperate look in her eyes made Manny stop struggling. "If Morrigan and Grim and Lothair are in there, there's nothing you can do to stop them. I only pray there's something Etienne can do."

  "Please, Adriana." Manny knelt next to her. "I have to try to help him. I know you love Remy and want to protect his body, but I can't just sit here and do nothing. You've got to let me go."

  She shook her head; there were tears in her eyes. In the bad light, she didn't look like his mother at all; she looked thin, harsh-featured, and desperate. "You don't understand, Manny. If you were Remy, I would likely let you go. But Remy never needed me like you do." She touched his face. "You two are alike in many ways, yet so different. You are more kind, gentle, generous. And far more fragile."

  Manny put his hand over Adriana's where it rested on his cheek. "So you like me, too, it's not just Remy?"

  She shook her head. "No, you little idiot. It's not just Remy." She pulled him into a tight hug.

  Closing his eyes, Manny held on. He had stopped thinking of Adriana as a substitute for his mother, but maybe the feelings he had been wrestling with were genuine. Adriana had protected him, taken care of him, been his friend when there was no one else. The knowledge that she didn't just see him as some stranger in Remy's body made Manny feel much better.

  "Help... Etienne..." The low voice was barely a whisper.

  Startled, they both looked down at Gaudulfus. His eyes were open but bleary and unfocused. "You're not dead!" Manny said. "Thank God! I mean, thank Oberon!"

  "A few musket shots... and sword thrusts... and halberd slashes... cannot fell the mighty Gaudulfus," he wheezed. He clutched Adriana's hand. "I'll be fine, my dear. Hurry... aid Etienne. He is not... as formidable as I."

  Adriana kissed Gaudulfus on the cheek, an act that brought a smile to the dwarf's face and even a brief flush of color. Then she got to her feet.

  The palace doors opened into a long dark hall. It was ominously silent. Surely someone inside had heard the musket fire and the fighting, but no one had come out to help the palace guards, or even to see what was happening. That had to be a bad sign. "We've got to hurry," he said.

  "Yes," Adriana said, sounding resigned. As they neared the open doors, a glint of metal caught Manny's attention.

  It was Vasseur's dagger. The handle was made of polished wood, the guard and pommel of steel. Only the long silver blade shone with an unnatural luminescence: Fae silver. Manny reached for the handle.

  "Manny, don't!" said Adriana. "It'll make you weak and sick. I told you that." She bent down and picked up the dagger and tucked it into her boot. "But it might come in handy. Come on!" With that, she and Manny raced into the palace.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Manny and Adriana ran through a dark high-ceilinged hall lined with gilded tables and vases. The place reminded Manny of the Texas governor's mansion that his class had visited on a field trip a couple of years ago. Except this place looks a lot more expensive, he thought. The only light was moonlight through the tall windows, the air filled with the familiar waxy-smoky scent, like birthday candles right after you blew them out. The lights in the sconces and chandeliers had all been extinguished at once. That couldn't be normal.

  The corridor ended in a big hall with a grand staircase that branched in two, both sides curving up to a gallery along the second floor. It was like an empty cavern. In the movies, palaces had always been filled with servants and pages and guards, but there was no one in sight. "Where is everybody?" Manny said, keeping his voice low.

  "Magneric must have sent the servants and guards away." Adriana stopped at the base of the staircase. "He doesn't want any witnesses."

  Manny could hear the faint tinkling of crystal pendants, stirring in the breeze through open doors and windows. "Where now?" he asked. Doors and smaller hallways led off the hall, but from the big house they had burgled, he knew the living quarters and public rooms would be upstairs. He couldn't hear anything, no fighting, no shouting.

  "Up here." Adriana started up the stairs. At the top they found another large corridor, also dark, the faint breeze stirring the flowers in the vases. With a frustrated expression, Adriana looked down the hallway to her right and left. "The royal apartments should be in one wing, the minister's in the other, but I don't know which."

  "Let's go this way," said Manny, indicating the right hallway with his thumb.

  Adriana nodded and strode down the hallway, Manny right on her heels. A woman's scream broke the silence and Manny nearly jumped out of his skin. "Wrong way!" he gasped, and they bolted down the hallway in the other direction.

  Manny couldn't tell which room the scream had come from. Adriana threw open the first door she came to. It was a big salon. She dashed to a second door, threw it open, then raced into a small bedroom.

  Taking her lead, Manny threw open the next door and froze.

  Lothair hunched over a big polished sideboard with all the drawers open, a bulging sack hung over his shoulder. The troll seemed as surprised as Manny. "You!" he roared and advanced. Manny yelled a warning to Adriana and retreated to the landing. The troll lumbered after him, growling like a grizzly.

  Manny leapt up on the balcony's railing and balanced for a precarious instant. He thought, Oh crap, even as Remy's voice in his head said, Trust me! He jumped. A second later Manny knew he had made the right decision when he felt Lothair's claws brush against his back.

  Manny landed, tucked into a roll, and came up into a crouch. He jerked sideways to avoid the sack that came flying at him. The bag crashed on the marble floor, spilling silver boxes, mirrors, brushes, and perfume bottles.

  Manny blinked at the dazzling treasures on the floor. "You miserable thief!" He glared up at Lothair. To his horror, Lothair smashed through the railing as he launched himself off the balcony, his powerful arms outstretched.

  Rolling clear of the falling troll, Manny yanked the dagger out of his belt and spun to face him. Lothair crashed so hard the marble cracked beneath him, and shoved to his feet.

  "You're dead, runt!" Lothair roared. "Dead!"

  Adriana leapt down and landed on Lothair's shoulders. She held her quarterstaff in one hand, but Manny saw her lift the Fae silver dagger and stab it deep into the troll's thick neck. Lothair bellowed, the sound vibrating the chandeliers overhead. He reached back for Adriana but she somersaulted off his shoulders to land in front of Manny, her quarterstaff held at the ready. "Run, Manny!"

  But Manny stood his ground, gripping his dagger tightly. "I won't leave you!"

  Lothair's piggish eyes squeezed shut and he grabbed the handle of the dagger sticking out of his neck. He made a choking noise. "You... miserable...."

  Adriana darted in and smashed Lothair's hand with her staff. Lothair staggered back, grabbing at A
driana's quarterstaff with his free hand. Adriana danced back out of range.

  With an agonized groan, Lothair pulled the knife from his neck. The wound smoked and hissed like acid had been splashed on it. Lothair hurled the silver knife aside and drew his two huge, curved daggers. Still reeling, he shook his head repeatedly, blinking his eyes to clear his vision. His arms dropped, and he listed a few steps to the side.

  Adriana lunged again, aiming a blow at Lothair's face. But the troll snapped back into motion, bringing his dagger up to parry the blow.

  Furious, Manny yelled, "He's faking!"

  Lothair attacked, his daggers flashing in the dim light. Adriana tried desperately to parry the deadly blades. The powerful blows made short work of Adriana's quarterstaff, chopping chunks of it away with each impact. The last blow turned it into a short, splintered piece of wood; she threw it aside and turned to run. Lothair struck out, slashing viciously. Adriana made a strangled cry as his dagger blade bit into her back. She staggered and fell to the floor.

  "No!" Manny threw his dagger, aiming for the troll's face. He was rewarded with a surprised grunt from Lothair. But as the monster turned to snarl at him, Manny saw his dagger had bounced off Lothair's tusk, doing little more than chipping a piece off the top.

  Ignoring Manny, Lothair turned his baleful gaze back to Adriana. She tried to crawl away. Blood stained the back of her shirt and she grimaced with every movement. Lothair sheathed one of his daggers, licked his chops with his warty tongue, then started forward. "I'm going to enjoy this bit."

  "You stinking monster!" yelled Manny, taking a few steps forward. "You keep threatening to eat me and yet here I am, uneaten! You're such a pathetic jerk! You can't even beat a skinny half-goblin! I'm amazed Morrigan puts up with someone worthless and incompetent like you!"

  Lothair stopped to stare at Manny. Even Adriana stared at him over her shoulder. Lothair smiled and chuckled, then bellowed with laughter. "Oi, runt! That was pretty good. You always could get a rise out of me, you scrawny little cuss. But I'll deal with you after I've bitten off this pretty lady's head."

  The troll turned back to Adriana and grabbed hold of one of her ankles. He dragged her nearer, flipped her over, then scooped her up by her neck. "Hello again, darlin'. I thought I'd never see you again." Lothair brought Adriana close to his hideous face. "Then again I was thinking you were the smart one. Morrigan always thought so. But coming here was foolish, really foolish."

  "That's funny... coming from a buffoon like you," Adriana gasped. One of her arms hung immobile, and she struggled to lift the other.

  Think of something, Manny told himself. He saw the glint of silver on the floor near a large vase. The Fae silver dagger! He darted for it, his heart racing. Behind him, Lothair chuckled, "Your face is quite lovely when it's that shade of purple." He heard Adriana making a horrible gurgling sound.

  Manny snatched up the dagger, turned, and took careful aim. Even with the wooden handle to protect him from the Fae silver, he felt weakness wash over him. It was like he couldn't get enough air, a sick sensation like the aftermath of a hard punch in the stomach.

  He wanted to drop the dagger, but Lothair opened his huge mouth, bringing Adriana close to those awful yellow teeth. Adriana managed to lift her one working arm to fumble weakly in her vest, as if searching for a weapon. She was on the verge of passing out, her face a frightening shade of blue.

  Manny took a deep breath, ran a few steps, then hurled the Fae silver dagger. The blade glittered as it spun across the room. It seemed to move in slow motion.

  Lothair bellowed and jerked his head back in a spray of dark blood. The hilt of the dagger sprouted from the troll's eye. Then Adriana pulled the short-barreled pistol from her vest, cocked it by sliding the hammer along Lothair's hand, still wrapped tightly around her throat.

  Lothair blinked his one remaining eye and stared down the barrel of the gun.

  BLAM! The troll's other eye vanished in a gout of flame and a puff of smoke. Lothair dropped Adriana and staggered backward, his shocked look slowly melting into a slack-jawed expression. Falling to his knees, he groped blindly in the air. With a thump that echoed down the marble corridors, Lothair fell on his face. He groaned and shuddered, then lay still.

  Still weak-kneed from the effect of the Fae silver, Manny flung himself to his knees beside Adriana. "Are you okay? Please say you're okay." She gasped and coughed violently, but her face didn't look blue anymore. Manny winced when he saw her back. Her shirt was completely soaked in blood.

  "I'm... fine..." said Adriana, still trying to catch her breath. "Hurry..." Another coughing fit wracked her body and she pushed weakly at Manny. "Etienne... the king..."

  Manny got his feet. He didn't want to leave her, but they hadn't seen Grim or Morrigan yet, and Etienne was all alone. Adriana wheezed "Dagger," pointing at Lothair.

  Right, I need a weapon, Manny thought. He told her, "I'll get it, don't try to talk." He circled the troll's body until he saw the handle of Vasseur's dagger sticking out of Lothair's eye socket. Steeling himself, he grabbed hold of it, closed his eyes, and pulled. To his surprise, it slid out easily, leaving behind smoking flesh that smelled vaguely of rotten eggs. The sick feeling washed over his again, and Manny blinked and shook his head. He wasn't going to be able to carry this thing for too long.

  With a final worried look at Adriana, Manny ran up the stairs to the second floor and into the upstairs hallway. That was when he heard the sound of sword play.

  He ran down the dark hall, following the sound to a door on the left. It was ajar and Manny pushed it open.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Inside the big room, by the light of a couple of guttering candle stands, Etienne fought Lord Grim, Amechanteur ringing against the goblin's blood red blade. Murky spirals swirled along Grim's sword and it gave off an unnatural light. Oh no, thought Manny, he has a magic sword, too! The thrust and parry of the blades was almost a blur, Etienne breathing hard as the two Sidhe moved back and forth across the floor, kicking a small table aside, slamming into an upholstered chair.

  Manny gripped the Fae dagger, wondering if he could dart in and try to stab Grim, but they moved so fast, blades whirling like propellers. Okay, maybe not that bad, but close, Manny thought in awe. And the Fae silver was making him woozy and unsteady on his feet.

  He saw movement in the shadows at the far end of the room, near a big curtained bed that stood on a dais. Squinting, Manny spotted a woman in a blue gown clutching a scared-looking little boy. Three men sprawled dead on the floor in front of the bed's dais, two in palace guard livery and one in shirtsleeves and vest. The silk and tasseled bed curtains had been torn aside, the covers tumbled.

  Manny swallowed in a dry throat. That's the king, those are his guards and a servant, and that's the queen. Etienne must have been just barely in time.

  He took a step toward the bed and the queen gasped and pulled the boy king closer, shielding him with her body. "Stay away!" she screamed.

  Uh oh, she thinks I'm a bad guy too. Manny said, "No, it's okay, ma'am—I mean Your Majesty! I'm with Etienne! I'm here to help you!"

  Etienne heard the queen's scream. "Manny, get them to safety!" His hair was plastered to his head with sweat, and flecks of blood from small wounds stained his shirt and doublet, while Lord Grim didn't even seem to be winded. Manny's insides went cold. Etienne looked like Vasseur had, just before he had lost his fight.

  Grim paused to cast a quick glance at Manny and the queen. "Stay where you are, boy!" he snarled, baring his needle-sharp teeth.

  Etienne suddenly launched into a vicious attack and backed Grim up against a long upholstered couch that stood near the wall. "Manny! Get them out! Be quick!"

  Manny raced to the queen. As he drew close, he could see the young king's terror-stricken face. He's younger than I am, thought Manny. The king clutched his mother close, squeezing his eyes shut. "Mama, I'm frightened!"

  "It's all right," said Manny, trying to sound reassuring but feeli
ng anything but confident. "Just follow me."

  Grim leapt up and backward, landing on the wall near the door. He clung to the striped silk wallpaper like a big spider. Holy— Manny thought, stepping back with a gasp. You've got to be kidding me!

  Etienne fell back a wary step. Grim scuttled across the wall toward the door, his teeth bared in a grimace.

  He's cutting off our escape, Manny thought in panic.

  Etienne circled his enemy, keeping Manny, the queen, and king at his back. "You can't succeed," he said. "Sooner or later help will arrive. The palace will be swarming with Chevaliers."

  Grim kept his terrible gaze locked on Etienne. Then he leapt off the wall, slashed at the Chevalier, and cut him across the chest. Etienne staggered and Grim rushed toward him, but then jerked back, snarling. Dark blood sprayed from Grim's wrist, a deep cut across the vein.

  Etienne lunged. It happened almost too fast for Manny to register, but Grim switched the sword to his unwounded hand, bashed Amechanteur aside and slammed his bleeding arm into Etienne's face.

  Etienne fell back, stunned and half-blinded by Grim's blood, slashing wildly to hold the goblin back. Grim leapt away, bounced off the wall to land behind Etienne.

  "Behind you!" Manny cried, and Etienne whipped around and stabbed Grim through the shoulder, Amechanteur's crystal point sliding all the way through the goblin's flesh.

  Manny gasped in relief but then Etienne let go of the sword and staggered back. He half-fell, going to one knee, blood spreading across his doublet from where Grim's blade had bitten deep.

  Grim pulled Amechanteur out of his shoulder and looked at it with disgust. "This sword once belonged to the Sidhe. Now it is dishonored in the hands of an elf who swears fealty to a human." He tossed it contemptuously aside and the blade hit the wooden floor with a faint crystal ring. He stalked toward Etienne, who was struggling to stand. "Queen Mab was right to oppose her father. There can never be peace between our peoples. Oberon was a fool to think so."