Cry of Metal & Bone

by L. Penelope

  “Link with me,” Darvyn said, holding out his hand to Roshon. Though the boy appeared Elsiran, he must be a Singer if he was responsible for the weather changes by the lake. From the corner of his eye, he saw the teen shake his head.

  “I’m not an Earthsinger. But I can try to use this.” He opened his fist, revealing a gold coin. “It’s an amalgam, but I’m not sure what to do.”

  Darvyn didn’t know what the small coin could do, but if Roshon had somehow used it to escape, it might be helpful. “Do whatever you can think of to keep them away.”

  Tai stepped protectively in front of Lizvette, whose eyes darted around as the security force closed in. The men brandished their weapons, beating against Darvyn’s barrier. They approached in formation, discipline evident in every deliberate step.

  Darvyn flooded his Song with Earthsong, pulling from the source of power, and felt for the ground beneath the black-tarred road. He pulled on the earth and forced it up, cracking the pavement and shooting hunks of it into the air.

  A scraping noise began and a gust of wind raced by and blew the pieces of asphalt toward the guards, hitting several of them in the chests and faces. Darvyn shot a glance at Roshon, whose expression was taut with concentration. The wind must be his, then.

  The guards stumbled back, doing their best to avoid the onslaught. Darvyn heated the asphalt beneath their feet until it was gooey and sticky. Their opponents’ boots were now caught in the muck, locking them in place as their arms windmilled wildly.

  “Behind you!” Lizvette shouted.

  Darvyn turned and realized the scraping sound was from boats coming ashore. Three of them, each with ten men, had arrived from the island at amazing speed. These men bore rifles. They hopped from the boats and quickly took up firing positions.

  The water had quieted at some point, so Darvyn stirred it up again. He did not have much experience spelling bodies of water, though. Liquid always seemed to have a mind of its own—it was slippery and difficult to control.

  He managed to create a gigantic wave that crested above the men and pounded down on them, washing a good number back into the lake. Those who were left scrambled up, cocking their rifles and firing, only to find the weapons waterlogged.

  When Darvyn turned back, Tai was carrying Lizvette down an alley like a sack thrown over his shoulder as she struggled and kicked at him. Darvyn grabbed Roshon’s arm and took off after them. The security force would no doubt regroup quickly.

  After a few blocks with Lizvette slapping at Tai, he finally put her down. They raced back toward the merchant district bordering the factory area. Darvyn scanned the surroundings with his Song, directing them off the main streets and into the darkened alleys between factories when he sensed others nearby. They exited onto a busy street and blended into the crowd, and he released a sigh of relief. They walked for several blocks hidden in plain sight.

  “We’ll need to find somewhere to talk privately,” Lizvette said.

  Tai looked around then pointed down a side street. “What about there?”

  Painted on the wall of a red brick building were the words Rooms Rented Hourly.

  “I don’t think that would be an appropriate place.” Dull horror coated Lizvette’s voice.

  “No better spot for privacy.” Tai shrugged. “Those hotels forget your face the moment after they’ve taken your money.”

  “I suppose you’d know all about how such establishments operate,” she snapped.

  Darvyn held up a hand before the two of them could get started. “It will be fine.”

  He led the way to the building, and the bickering, thankfully, ceased. He didn’t care where they made their plans. The sooner they debriefed, the sooner they could go back for Kyara.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  When dawn broke, the revelers began sharpening swords and spears. Man-With-Voice-Like-Nightbirds sang to her of how they planned to make war with the people of the foothills before sundown. Though the sun rose steadily higher, the darkness in the seeker’s heart deepened.

  —THE AYALYA

  The inside of the “hotel” was far worse than Lizvette had feared. A peculiar odor had sealed itself into the walls under the frightfully stained wallpaper. The carpeting was so faded and torn that spots of plywood showed underneath. The room Tai had acquired from the one-eyed man at the front desk featured a lumpy bed, a couch made up of more springs than cushions, and two hard, wooden chairs. Not trusting the laundry facilities of such a place, she chose a chair, which had been constructed in such a way as to numb her bottom after only a few minutes of use.

  Roshon sat across from her on the couch, poor boy. He resembled his aunt Vanesse so much, but the intensity of his eyes reminded her of Jasminda.

  Once they were settled—Darvyn standing sentry at the window and Tai lounging comfortably next to Roshon—Lizvette broke the silence. “How is your family?”

  Roshon looked down at the scarred, wobbly coffee table as a shudder went through him. “My brother, Varten, is very ill. He’s dying.”

  Lizvette swallowed painfully. Tai’s dark eyes filled with emotion, but he blinked it away when she turned toward him.

  “And Kyara?” she asked, gaze darting to Darvyn, whose face was grim.

  The corners of Roshon’s lips curved up. “Strong. Brave. But they’re draining her Song. Over and over. Each time seems worse than the last.”

  Darvyn closed his eyes and dropped his head. Lizvette wanted to comfort him somehow but knew it would do no good.

  Roshon cleared his throat. “When we were first taken, the Physicks wanted to know about the stone we found—the death stone. Papa wouldn’t tell them anything and so they thought…” His eyes hardened and his fists curled. “They thought they could use my brother and me against him.”

  She didn’t want to hear any more but forced herself to sit through Roshon’s tale of the painful experiments he and his brother had endured.

  “I don’t think women bear twins here,” Roshon continued. “One of their physicians spoke Elsiran, and he seemed fascinated by the fact that Varten and I are identical. They would do things to us and then compare our reactions.”

  His eyes rimmed with tears. It was a moment before he could continue. “I think they gave us both the disease and tested different cures to see what would happen.”

  “Is it plague?” Darvyn asked.

  Roshon shrugged. “It’s similar, but it’s slow. It’s been weeks now since he’s had a normal appetite. He coughs up blood and sleeps all the time. When he’s not sleeping, he’s in pain.”

  Lizvette winced. The people who had done this to him were monsters.

  “Before Kyara arrived, the physicians would come every day and take him. He told us they would just keep him on a cot in an infirmary with a lot of other sick people with some kind of equipment strapped to their chests.”

  “But they stopped taking Varten once Kyara was brought in?” she asked.

  He nodded. “They take her every few days instead. And he’s just grown worse and worse.” Roshon placed the curious gold coin on the table. “Then a servant gave this to Kyara. The old woman claimed that there is a faction within the Physicks that doesn’t agree with their methods. She’s been helping Kyara. These medallions give the Physicks their power. I guess they mimic a Song, sort of, but a Singer can’t use it.

  “Once I got the hang of it, I pretended to be Varten basically near death, and they brought me to a private room in the medical unit. I feigned unconsciousness, and they left me on a cot. I think they were calling in the ones who had first experimented on us. There was a guard there, but I knocked him into the wall with a blast of wind, stole his cloak, and jumped out the window.”

  Lizvette’s heart leaped into her throat. “How did you know you wouldn’t break your neck?”

  Roshon shrugged again. “I fell into the water. It’s not normal water, though—it’s thick and rank. Heavier than it should be. It leaves your skin tingling and burning.” He shivered as the mem
ory crossed him. “I didn’t think I’d make it across, but I tried using the medallion. I didn’t know what I was doing but somehow found myself on the shore.”

  “In the middle of a tiny thunderstorm,” she said. The corner of his lip rose a fraction.

  “And what was your plan after that?” Darvyn asked.

  “Get help. Find a place where I could get word to Elsira. Call the ambassador. We weren’t sure if the Yalyish police would help, but Papa said the Queen would provide.”

  Tai frowned. “Your sister?”

  “What?” The young man’s brow furrowed.

  Lizvette shook her head. “He means the Queen Who Sleeps. He doesn’t know.”

  “Know what?” Roshon asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

  “The Queen Who Sleeps is awake,” Lizvette said. “Your sister awakened Her. And then she married the Prince Regent, and now they’re king and queen.”

  Roshon’s eyebrows slowly rose until they nearly hit his hairline.

  “And your aunt—your mother’s sister, Vanesse—she came on this mission with us, too, though she doesn’t know you’re here,” Tai said.

  Roshon paled so much that Lizvette thought he might pass out.

  “Much has happened, and we’ll tell you all of it, but we need to know more about the Physicks’ castle in order to save the others. Everything you can remember,” Darvyn said.

  It was a moment before Roshon could speak. “They call it the Academie. It’s some sort of school for them.”

  Roshon explained what he knew, along with things that Kyara had observed. Rescuing them would be quite a thorny proposition. Part of Lizvette wished that they’d been able to accept Zivel’s offer of assistance. But the Goddess’s order of secrecy about this mission extended to the Foreign Service agents, as well, and all they were able to tell Zivel was that Lizvette and the others had gone to Dahlinea on official business.

  She stood as the conversation turned to the various options for entering the Academie. Tai’s voice rumbled whenever he spoke, causing an odd sensation in her chest. She wished she could escape the small room. Even now, she felt his eyes on her. Probably because she was the only woman around. Had there been a pretty brunette present, he’d likely be looking at her.

  She sighed, feeling petty for her jealousy. There were much more important things to think about now than the meaning of a kiss neither one of them had even acknowledged. She could only imagine that he regretted it. But did she? She should—it had definitely been a mistake. A simple moment of weakness and nothing more.

  Lizvette looked around the room. She noticed a crumpled copy of this morning’s newspaper on the chipped night table beside her. She dared not think who had used this room before them. Emblazoned on the front page was a story about the Yaly Classic. With all that had happened, she had nearly forgotten.

  CATTLEMAN CARRIES THE DAY

  Cardenna Cattleman rose to the expectations of many to take first place in the Yaly Classic Air Race.

  After falling behind in lap three in a particularly vicious obstacle course that took out sixteen other competitors, Cattleman regained her pace in lap six. But in the eighth and final lap, Elsiran racer Clovette Liddelot swooped in to take the lead.

  The battling Caxton M18 airships duked it out, with Cattleman winning in a photo finish.

  The paper dropped from her fingertips and fell to the floor. Someone called her name, but it sounded far away. Clove had nearly won. Lizvette couldn’t help but wonder if there had been some other reason for the woman’s loss.

  Tai was there suddenly, peering at her, worry creasing his face.

  “I’m all right,” she said, straightening her spine. “Look.” She pointed to the paper.

  He crouched to grab it and scanned the article. “This is good, right? If she’d won, that would have spelled a lot of trouble for your father and he would likely have retaliated in some way.”

  “I know, it’s just … did she really lose? And just barely like that? Do you think something happened at the last minute?”

  Tai frowned, looking back down at the paper. “The article doesn’t mention anything about her being harmed in any way. Do you want to call and check in on her?”

  A grateful smile spread across Lizvette’s face before she could stop it. She was still mad at Tai, but it was of little importance.

  It turned out that the telephone, like the bathroom, was in the hall, encased in a booth for privacy. Tai trailed behind her as she left the room to make the call. Though his presence irked her, she was grateful for it when a seedy character with a soot-covered face passed by silently. At the telephone, she wiped down the handset with her handkerchief before pressing it to her ear.

  The operator connected her with the hotel in Melbain where she was directed to their suite. The other line was open, but silence crackled through the receiver.

  “Hello?” she said, thinking that she heard someone breathing.

  “Lizvette, is that you?”

  Her breath hitched. The familiar male voice made her skin crawl.

  Her jaw moved but no sound came out for a moment. “F-Father?”

  “Where are you? You’ve made things very inconvenient for me, young lady.”

  She swallowed, widening her eyes at Tai, whose glower was intense. She pulled back the handset a bit, so he could hear. “I-I was able to find other accommodations. What are you doing in Clove and Vanesse’s hotel room?”

  “Never mind that. You couldn’t even manage to accomplish a simple task. Fortunately, the Liddelot woman didn’t win the race—no thanks to you. My associates were not impressed by that little display of incompetence, however. Not in the least.” His voice was harsh as ever, but Lizvette felt a spark of hope. He was angry but didn’t seem to suspect her of being anything more or less than ineffectual. After all, he would have no way of knowing she’d removed the amalgam necklace and shared his plan with anyone.

  “I’m sorry, Father. I wasn’t able to place that … contraption as you’d wanted. I-I lost it and had no way to get back in contact with you. Perhaps the task was too much for me.” She held her breath. On her side, the only sound was the cracking of Tai’s knuckles as he flexed his fists, looking for all the world like he wanted her father’s neck squeezed between them.

  Father grunted. “I suspected as much. Fortunately, the outcome of the race was still profitable. I’ve managed to devise one more chance for you. But after this, you truly will be on your own, child. I cannot carry you along if you continue to be maladroit. And why did you not tell me the Sisterhood woman was Jasminda’s aunt?”

  “I…” Her head whirled. What did that have to do with anything?

  “It doesn’t matter. That information came my way and is very valuable indeed. Now she and that pilot are accompanied by the Foreign Service at all times, and I don’t have the resources to hire additional manpower, so I’ll need you to draw the Sister out.”

  “Draw her out? For what?”

  He let out an exasperated sigh. “So we can ransom her, of course. How much do you think Jack and Jasminda would pay for the safe return of one of the queen’s remaining kin?”

  For a moment, she was weightless with shock. “You want to kidnap Vanesse?”

  “Keep up, my dear.”

  Lizvette looked over to find Tai’s expression lit with an inner fire. She closed her eyes to focus on her father’s words as he relayed his plan. This was the chance she’d thought she’d lost, but it would mean using Vanesse as bait. However, if Father could lead them to the temple bombers, and knew of any future attacks, the queen’s aunt would certainly want to do her part to bring the perpetrators to justice and stop another tragedy.

  Lizvette mumbled responses when necessary, still reeling. Finally, Father named the time and place where she was expected to bring Vanesse later that evening.

  “Tonight?” Lizvette gasped.

  “We must do it quickly,” he replied. “There’s no time to waste.”

&nbs
p; “But it’s so soon. You need the money that badly?”

  “I have people depending on me.”

  A pang hit her heart. There was a time when she’d depended on him, too, but not for a long while.

  Dazed, Lizvette agreed to the details of the plan. Her father hung up without saying good-bye. Beside her, Tai was rigid.

  “I’ll take the next flight back to Melbain and coordinate with Zivel,” she said, her eyes staring forward but unseeing. “It will all be fine. We should go and tell the others.”

  Tai remained silent as they trudged back to the hotel room and informed Darvyn and Roshon of the new development.

  “I don’t know that I’d be of much help here anyway,” Lizvette said. Next to her, Tai snorted; she raised an eyebrow at him. What was his problem?

  “You are very valuable, Lizvette,” Darvyn replied. “But I agree. It makes the most sense for you to go and wrap things up with your father. Do you think it will be safe for you to go alone?”

  She gave a humorless chuckle. “I don’t believe Father will harm me now, if that’s what you’re worried about. It seems he needs me.”

  Tai and Darvyn shared a glance. They worked well together, able to communicate in some silent man language she would likely never crack. After a moment, Tai spoke up. “That necklace certainly caused you harm. I’m not sure we know the full extent of what your father is capable of, Vette.” His words annoyed her, but the nickname made her heart stutter. Only Jack had ever called her that.

  She should tell him not to be so familiar. But the memory of how familiar they had been the other night overcame her, causing her cheeks to warm. She quickly banished the thoughts and focused on the task at hand.

  “The rescue mission here is of the utmost importance,” she said, “but I cannot simply allow Father to slip through our hands. Especially when he may know the plans of future attacks.”

  Tai’s expression was grave. “We will get Nirall, hold him accountable, and find out what else he knows.”