As if in response, a muffled moan came from the adjacent room, but neither of them paid it any mind.
“It’s just a matter of time before we’re discovered,” Catar pointed out.
“Leave it to me,” Mercer said, his decision made. They could fix this if they eliminated the variables. “I’ll find out what the Apprentice is, and I’ll kill him myself if I have to.”
Curse
ONE
Kaila stood by the window in the room she had booked at the inn. She didn’t need the room, but not having one would arouse suspicion. She watched as the rain fell in a misty drizzle, and she held an arm out to gather the droplets to her. A few people were still walking the streets below, their parasols keeping them dry. Soldiers were patrolling in groups of four, swords in hand. The sound of their boots marching in unison echoed off the cobbled streets and stone buildings. The fear and uncertainty was palpable, and it was a very different Tiede from the one she had arrived in just a few days ago.
She changed from her dress to her black battle gear. She checked the long daggers in the vambraces, the smaller blades at her boots, the blade strapped to her outer thigh. Satisfied, she pulled her hair up. If Alaric knew what she was up to, he’d lock her in the Keep. The kisses they shared wouldn’t change the way he treated her, and she berated herself for letting it happen. It wasn’t the first time, of course, but she wanted it to be the last.
She returned to the window, then climbed onto the sill, hefting herself up onto the roof. This whole affair would be easier if she could use her powers, but there were too many mortals. It was a good night for shadows, though. The evening skies were thick with clouds, veiling the moon’s light, and fear had kept most people indoors.
She traveled along the rooftops, lithe and silent as a cat on the hunt, until she reached the main road. The lower district was her best bet for finding the creature, and she crossed the wide stretch of pebbled road after a detachment of soldiers marched their way back to the barracks.
The lights that lined the streets in the area known as the Wedge were dim, and from this distance the House shone like a jewel overlooking the city. Kaila kept close to the old buildings, watching for the curious eyes that would peek out of the derelict structures. The moans of the hungry and the haunted shrieks of the addicts assaulted her ears, and she understood why the creature could find easy prey in this part of the city.
The street opened up to the park that served as a buffer between the various parts of the western districts. The lamps that marked the park borders shone with a dull, pulsing glow, and she sprinted past them into the cover of trees, keeping away from the walking paths. She noticed a few foolish mortals who must have thought they were safe from any rumored monster. She cursed their stupidity, their presence preventing her from taking in her powers.
She moved deeper into the park, listening for something that didn’t fit into the familiar patterns of evening sounds. With or without her powers, the night was woven into her very being, and as the rain began to drizzle around her, she allowed her muscles to relax and feel the night embracing her, connecting her to the entire Realm. That was when she felt the hum of magic and the cold chill of darkness. It wasn’t the comforting, velvety darkness of Alaric’s night; there was an emptiness to it, a feeling of foreboding and malevolence. She drew one of her long blades, then prowled towards the low humming currents of magic, glancing at the ground to see traces of liquid light rush past. She heard a whimpering cry, muffled and weak.
When she reached a point where the vibrations were so strong they seemed to repel her, she crouched behind a tree and peered around it. She strained to make out the litter of boulders upon which sat a shadow with feral, yellow eyes. Symbols in a line from what she guessed to be collar to elbow glowed red. In all of her years, she’d never seen anything like it.
The rocks and grasses were covered in splashes of dark liquid, and the sickening scent of raw flesh tinged with metal filled the air. The creature jerked its head upright, and she ducked behind the tree. She waited, wondering what made the creature powerful enough to sense her presence. It hissed a chain of words in a language older than she was, words tied to the planet’s tongue. This creature was Old Magic that had been twisted somehow. It spoke again, this time mixing its words with Ancient.
I smell you, it breathed, and Kaila heard the click of bone and saw a slither of smoke as it moved from its perch to walk a circle, searching for the intruder. You smell of power.
She pressed herself tight against the rough bark of tree, listening for the whoosh of smoke to approach. She mouthed a silent incantation to bless her knife with the Realm’s power.
Join me? it asked, and she could hear the grin on its face. I’ve not finished eating yet. There was a cold snap, then a flash of red before a faint glow illuminated the area. There was that whimpering sound again, and she couldn’t stop herself from peeking around the tree. Lying in a pool of crimson was a Tiede soldier, his arm missing, his legs broken, his head and face covered with blood.
He was still alive.
Kaila gasped and turned away, the heat of anger burning her cheeks. Allowing her fury to fill her, she stepped away from her hiding place, prepared to fight, to end this senseless carnage.
There you are, it chuckled.
“What are you?” she asked, her blade at the ready.
The creature tutted, then said, No, my beauty, the question is: What are you? I wear no disguise, pretending to be something I’m not, while you are more than you seem. It approached with its arms open as if to embrace her, and she thrust her blade at it. It spun out of her reach and produced a blade of red. They circled each other, the creature with its ghostly movements and Kaila with her liquid grace. You must be of the Heavens, the thing said, its tone rising as it made the connection. Your laws bind you and your powers when mortals are near. Kill him, and you’ll be free to fight in all your glory!
She spared a glance at the dying man. Tanghi and Sabana would have done it; they would have killed him and justified it with the fact that he was near dead anyway. Maybe Alaric was right to treat her like a child.
The creature laughed. The gods are weaker than I would have imagined.
Furious, Kaila threw her blade and it stuck in the creature’s chest. She launched herself at the beast, and it reacted in time to cut a thin line below her ribs, to her waist and lower back. She moved through the pain as she grabbed the blade at her thigh and reached for where she imagined the creature’s neck might be. Her hand passed through black vapor and settled on scale-covered flesh, rigid and cold to the touch. Her arm wrapped around its throat.
Surprised, the thing’s sword dissipated and it clawed at her arms, which were protected with tough scale vambraces. She pulled it close, the smell of smoke and death filling her nostrils, then pressed the tip of her blade under its chin, staying inside the sharp spikes of its elbows and calves.
The creature laughed and stopped trying to fight back. You’re fast. I’ve never fought anything so fast.
“What are you? Who summoned you?” she demanded, pain searing through the cut in her side.
Let me go, it said. You might not have your powers, but they are inherent to your very being. I can feel it in your blades and smell it in your blood. Only magic and mortals can kill me.
“Who summoned you?” she repeated.
Kill me, and the force of magic combined with the powers you hold will open an istoq.
“You lie,” she hissed, pressing her knife into the creature’s throat. Black fluid dripped and sizzled out of the wound.
The red symbols glowed brighter, and Kaila felt her powers tugging from the cuff around her upper arm. The creature laughed harder and she reluctantly let it go, pushing it to the ground. It coughed and sputtered, laughing all the while. She kicked it onto its back and pressed a boot to its chest. It looked up at her through slitted, yellow eyes, then disappeared. The blade she had driven into its chest fell to the ground.
She rushed towards the dying m
an and knelt by him, ignoring the burning wound in her side. “It’s all right,” she whispered as she squeezed his bloody hand. She could feel his soul slipping away, fire burning at the edges of it. “I will pray for your spirit and intercede on your behalf, son of Fire.”
“Thank you, my goddess,” he breathed.
She let her tears fall, choking on her sobs, then placed her blade against his neck and recited the Priestesses’ prayers for Tanghi in the forgotten Ancient, the power of the words coursing through her body and into the blade. Kaila steeled herself, then bled him clean with one swift stroke. He shuddered, then stilled, and she wept alone in the pouring rain.
TWO
According to the demons, Kaila had left Mytanth, wanting to be alone. Tanghi spent hours searching the seas, rivers, and islands without any luck. He wondered if she had relinquished her powers because he couldn’t pinpoint her location or feel her presence. Annoyed and just about ready to give up, he decided to see if she had returned to Tiede.
It was possible she was keeping an eye on the new Priestess. Kaila didn’t have much experience with blessings, only submitting what graces were required of her for the Priestesses to bestow birth blessings and other routine favors. A direct blessing could have powerful, lasting effects, and for one as inexperienced as Kaila, creating such a link might make her feel compelled to watch and protect the new Priestess more often than not.
Tanghi appeared then disappeared out of the various fires lit within the House of Tiede. The House was silent and in chaotic ruin. The courtyard was a disaster of broken marble and shattered stone stained with blood and burn marks; only the mermaid fountain remained intact. The dead were laid out in Alaric’s worship room, cleaned and covered in oils and leindra petals, an elemental token laid on the forehead of each. Tanghi spotted a flat firestone on one, and he beckoned the spirit out, calmed it as best he could under his current circumstances, and instructed it to return to Mytanth.
He paused, studying the tokens again. Firestone, feathers, gold, and seashells. He whispered an incantation, calling forth the two souls promised to Kaila, only to be answered by silence. She’s freed them already. She was here. Tanghi retreated into the flames and left with more questions than he had started with, and still no idea of where Kaila had gone.
He did manage to find the little Priestess. Tanghi was shocked at just how young this initiate was, and for her to also be Unblessed there had to have been a mistake. Still, it wasn’t for him to worry about. She was tucked into her bed, journeying through Alaric’s dreamscapes, and Kaila was nowhere nearby.
He continued to travel through the fire to other rooms. He found Geyle crying in her bedchamber. He found guests from Illithe. The old, Illitheien House Lord was mumbling about poppies in his sleep. In another room, Illithe Valine sat at a desk, writing letters to her brothers by candlelight. He wondered what the Illitheiens were doing in Tiede.
He was relieved to find Vir with the Elder and the full council. Vir looked sick and weak, but he was alive. Tanghi listened as they argued over what to do with the marked, the mages in their dungeons, the monster roaming the streets.
What on Mytanth was going on in Tiede, and why hadn’t Kaila said anything about it? Alaric had ordered her to watch the House. She must have known what was going on. Tanghi hated himself for doubting her, but the evidence against her was overwhelming.
He wandered into a lamp in the Library. A boy sat with his head on his desk, tears and a distant look in his eyes as he pushed little paper stars about. Every now and then, the boy would wince in pain and curse in the old languages. The Library door creaked. “Aren! Come quick. She’s been hurt—a wicked slice from her rib all the way around…”
Tanghi had had enough of mortals and didn’t stay to hear another word. He was too upset about Kaila, and it concerned him that he hadn’t been able to find her. He left the House, reemerging in the small, eternal flame the Master Blacksmiths kept in an altar in the forge. He turned into a firefly and made his way towards Tiede Wood.
THREE
Kaila reached the top of the stairs and stood at the edge of the town center. She was thankful for the rain, which washed the blood from her hands and face. The downpour kept the streets empty, and with an arm clutched across her midsection, she hoped no one would notice her injuries. She stood in the shadows, debating what to do next. She couldn’t return to the inn. With the magic embedded in her wound, she was in danger of succumbing to the same poison that had almost killed Tanghi long ago. Then, she recalled that the girl Rieka was a student of medicine, and if Aren could trust her, perhaps she could too. The only problem was that Kaila had to figure out where to find her.
Kaila steeled herself against the worsening pain in her side and straightened up when a familiar sensation like the warmth of embers cut through the rain. “Is that you, Master Fighter?” she asked, recalling the Fire blessing she had sensed in him the other night.
The stocky man stepped out of the shadows and into the biolight. He was dripping wet but didn’t seem bothered by it. “Gryf, my Lady. What’re you doing out in this weather?”
“I was just taking a walk, and…” She looked down at the tight, reptilian fabric of her black bodice and pants, the high boots with the knives strapped to the sides, the bloodstained blade pressed against her thigh. She peered at Gryf through long, wet lashes. “Aren was in mourning, so I went to see about a monster.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Many a woman has done crazy things for that boy, but please tell me you’re joking.”
She moved her arm and turned slightly, revealing the gash in her clothing and the wound beneath it glittering with magic, oozing blood. Gryf closed the gap between them and put a hand on her shoulder, staring hard at the injury.
“I didn’t do it for Aren. I’m a scholar. I needed to see this thing for myself.” She smiled in the hopes of wiping the concern off his face. “I thought maybe Rieka could help.”
“That cut is deep. Can you walk?” he asked. She nodded, wrapping her arm around her waist again. “Rieka’s staying at her parents’ house this evening. I’ll take you.”
Kaila was relieved for the help, but she walked on her own strength with Gryf keeping watch beside her. She appreciated that he hadn’t volunteered to carry her or anything equally gallant. “What are you doing out on this lovely night?” she asked, trying to keep her voice cheery.
“Just finished paying my respects to the dead. Decided to take the long way back to the Guild.” He placed a hand on the hilt of the broadsword at his hip. “Thought I might see about a monster too.”
She laughed a little. “Don’t bother, it’s disappeared again.”
They soon approached a home on the western edge of the upscale Council District. It was dark blue, its windows and doors framed in white. A turret jutted out of the right corner, and Kaila noticed that the lights were still on inside. They climbed the stairs to the covered porch, and Gryf used the large iron knocker to announce their arrival. After a few moments, the door opened and Rieka stood in the soft biolight, her braids undone, her long black hair falling in soft waves around her.
“I hope we’re not intruding,” Gryf said.
She looked from Gryf to Kaila and back again. “Not at all. Please, come in. Give me a moment and I can get you something to dry off with.” She stood aside for them to enter.
Gryf touched Kaila’s shoulder, nudging her forward. “Master Lake needs your help, but I’m needed back at the Guild. Is Dane here?” Rieka nodded as Dane came up to the door, a glass of amber liquor in his hand. Gryf motioned with his head. “Let’s go. I’ll walk you to the House to get Aren.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” Dane asked as Rieka took his drink.
Gryf and Kaila exchanged looks, then she revealed the wound flowing with blood and rain.
FOUR
Aren tried not to push Bontan so fast that he’d leave Dane and his gree behind, but he felt anxious and a little guilty. If he hadn’t spent his evening moping about and
locking himself away from everyone, this never would’ve happened.
By the time they arrived at Rieka’s parents’ house, the rain had calmed to a soft drizzle. They tied the gree to a hitching post on the porch, and Dane let them in. They removed their shoes and made their way to the sitting room, where they found Lake lying topless on her stomach across a large ottoman that Rieka had draped with a dark sheet. Aren did his best to keep his eyes away from Lake’s bare shoulders, the small of her back, the curve of her waist to her hips. He tried not to imagine those parts of her that were pressed against the ottoman, swallowed up in sheets. He focused on the satiny, star-metal cuff still wrapped to her upper left arm.
“You didn’t have to come,” Lake said, a sleepy smile on her flushed face. She winced as Rieka pulled another shard out of her back and dropped it into a small bowl, where it made a little clatter.
“She’s doing surprisingly well, considering how deep the wound is,” Rieka said. “She’s like you, Aren; she’s not bleeding out the way Gryf did.”
“Tennari are said to have faint traces of magic in their veins. It helps us heal faster,” Lake said, her words slurred.
Aren took a seat on the floor, positioning himself in front of her, and tucked stray strands of raven hair behind her ear. He traced the contours of her burning cheek with a thumb. “You’ve been drinking.”
“Rieka said it would help dull the pain because she has no other anesthetic,” she said, flinching as Rieka worked. “I’m sorry to make you worry. You were in mourning. You shouldn’t have come.”
“This is what friends do.” He perched his elbows on his knees. “What were you doing out on the streets when you knew this creature was on the loose?”
“I wanted to see this thing for myself, and it infuriated me to see you so distraught.”
“My distress isn’t something for you to risk your life over,” he said, raising his voice a little. “People I knew died. I wasn’t sad as a way of encouraging you to avenge them.”
Uniting the Heavens Page 29
