by B. T. Narro
I let myself sink, my whole body shaking and searing from the effort required to hold the py together. Seeing that the ground was still too far away I let myself speed up, offering some relief. But then I started to fall so fast I couldn’t catch myself! Stop! Oh gods!
Somehow I did stop, and it felt like I’d run face first into a brick wall. I knew I’d lost the energy after that, opening my eyes to find the ground coming at me quickly. I barely had time to get my feet beneath me. I fell hard onto my rear, rolling onto my back and slamming my elbows against the ground before my head struck last with a deep thud.
Pain came slowly at first, then all at once, radiating from the back of my skull down to my feet. I groaned and pushed myself up. Nothing was broken, fortunately, probably the best outcome I could’ve hoped for considering my lack of skill at this point.
I was drenched with sweat and my chest burned with each gasping breath. I didn’t even have the strength to jog out of the courtyard.
I appeared even more haggard when I eventually stumbled through Shara’s doorway.
“My gods, are you all right?”
“Yes…but I…have to tell you…something.” I struggled to control my breathing.
Shara ran to me. “What is it?”
“Where is Norret?”
“Why?”
“Tell me!”
Her wide eyes showed me she realized how important this was. “It’s the small town we passed before we reached Glaine, remember? It’s just southwest of here, maybe five miles. Why, Neeko? What’s there?”
Although I was no less calm, I finally could speak clearly.
“Kayren is there—the woman Eizle was in love with. Four men are going to kill her. I need to stop them. Do you know where the Bedwarm Inn is?”
“I don’t.”
Henry came into her room just then. Gods, how I was beginning to despise him. “Argh!” I shook both fists in his direction.
He put his hands up defensively, wearing an expression as if this wasn’t his choice.
“You should tell the king,” Shara urged.
“Not a good idea, and I have to go now. Tell the commander I didn’t run away. It might be a day, but I will return. This is a matter of saving someone’s life. Please help him understand that.”
“He’s not going to want to listen to me. But I’ll try.”
I started toward the door but stopped. A few seconds shouldn’t make a difference, at least I hoped not. I took Shara in my arms and gave her the most heartfelt kiss I’d ever given anyone. I could feel her lose her breath as she kissed me back.
I ran to the door but stopped once more to tell Shara something. Henry looked ready to follow me. Two hells, he would make this complicated.
“Shara, Swenn might escalate things while I’m gone.”
“What does that mean?”
I couldn’t tell her that she might be in danger without revealing to Henry that I’d been on the balcony. “Just be extremely careful.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
I had to retrieve my horse, though I’d never set foot in the stables before. I truly began to wonder if I had a chance of finding Kayren before her assailants did. I reminded myself what they would do to her. To fail would mean her death…don’t think about it. Just get there.
“I need my horse,” I told the stable master as calmly as I could.
“Which one?”
“Vkar.”
He rolled his eyes. “If I don’t know your name, the odds of me knowing your horse by its name are even less.”
Big Henry, with his hands already around his enormous horse’s reins, pointed to another horse…mine I saw after following his finger. It was disconcerting that he knew where my horse was better than I did.
“Yes, that one.”
I dragged Vkar out of the stables and jumped on his back. Henry showed me a concerned look.
“I know it’s bad to leave,” I told him, giving Vkar a good kick.
Henry’s mount galloped beside mine. He pointed at the approaching gap in the wall, then raised his hands in question.
“I’m not telling you.”
Guards jumped in front of me. I would plow through them if necessary. “Move!”
“There’s another rider coming through,” one guard warned.
They weren’t trying to keep me from leaving. I barely slowed Vkar in time. He reared up a bit and grunted in disapproval. Terren’s horse trotted through from the other side. He recognized me and pulled his horse to a stop.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I can’t talk, in a hurry.” I started past him. He quickly turned his horse and stayed close to me.
“Are you leaving the army?”
“No.”
Having Vkar speed through crowded streets was about the worst idea I could think of, but I still kept him at a quick pace. Terren stayed beside me as people jumped out of the way.
“I was going to set up a meeting with you and Charlotte,” he called out.
The psychic. She was the least of my interests right now. “I’ll be back at the castle later.”
Terren fell behind to keep from trampling a woman too slow to get out of his way. Soon he was right back with me.
“Does Jaymes Jorgan know about this?”
Shara should’ve told him by now. “Probably.”
“Slow down, you’re going to kill someone.”
“No. I need to save someone.” Henry was somewhere behind me. It wouldn’t be long before he figured out I knew about Kayren.
Terren fell silent, though he still rode with me.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“I’m trying to think, yet you keep going faster and faster. I can’t concentrate.”
“You don’t need to come.”
He ducked under a low awning branching out from a shop. “What’s so important to make you risk everything?”
Risk everything?
I supposed he was right, actually. This could get me discharged from the army, which was the sole reason I was able to stay in Sumar. But if that was the case, Terren should be encouraging me to keep going.
“Wouldn’t you want me out of the army? Then I would have no choice but to—”
“You told me you need to save someone!” Terren interrupted, his loose blond hair bouncing around just above his fierce eyes. “Who needs to be saved?”
I shot a look over my shoulder at Henry. It would be too late now if he turned back to tell Swenn where I was headed.
“A woman named Kayren will be killed soon unless I stop them.”
Henry squinted at me, puzzled.
“Stop who?” Terren asked.
“Four men sent by the master of coin.” I hadn’t seen anyone riding out of the castle yet, but they must be somewhere behind me. Or they’d made it out before me and would get to her first.
I sped up.
“Why would they kill her?”
“She knows the truth about Swenn.” Maybe not the whole truth, but I figured she knew something damaging, certainly about why Eizle attacked him.
Terren glanced at Henry behind us. “Isn’t he a guard of Swenn’s?”
“Yes, but his task isn’t to slay Kayren—watch out!” I yelled at a child carelessly playing with a ball in front of me. He ran out of the way. “It’s complicated and I don’t have the focus to explain right now.” I expected that to be it, but he still rode beside me.
“What is this truth about Swenn you mentioned?”
“This is not a way for you to get me to Ovira. I recommend you turn back and pretend you never saw me.”
“Your arrogance might make this hard to believe, but I care more about saving an innocent life than bringing Neeko Aquin back to Ovira.” That hurt my pride a bit. “Kayren is innocent, isn’t she?”
“Completely.”
“I’m trusting you, Neeko. Tell me what you know about the master of coin.”
I still couldn’t help but think this was just an oppor
tunity to him, a way to bring me to Ovira. I wasn’t used to people being so just. Still, I didn’t see the harm in telling him of Swenn’s true nature. He and his party were probably the only people in all of Sumar who I could tell without putting them in the same danger.
It reminded me of Aunt Nann. She knew the truth about Swenn. The king promised to send someone for her. Dread struck me. Could Swenn have sent one of his own men instead? I couldn’t worry about that at the moment.
We rode out of the capital, now surrounded by green hills. Henry rode his mount up to mine, Terren on my other side.
“What do you know about the master of coin?” I had to yell to be heard over the patter of horseshoes beating against the open land.
“I heard that the pyforial mage who attacked Quince Barryn was his brother.”
“His name was Eizle.”
“And I heard you were boyhood friends with Eizle but that both of you misbehaved when you were young, causing Swenn concern.”
“Is that all?”
“About Swenn, yes. I’ve heard much more from Effie and Steffen about you, which makes it easy to trust you now. Tell me what I don’t know about Swenn.”
“He killed my mother when I was eight.” It felt good to say that in front of Henry. I gave him a pointed look to show how serious I was.
His mouth came open and I had the silly thought he was about to say something, but he only raised his eyebrows as if asking, “Really?”
“Bastial hell, are you serious?” Terren yelled.
“He killed her, and I’m sure he’s done other vile acts. He wasn’t the master of coin back then, just a degenerate teenager obsessed with money and reputation.”
I could see Norret about five miles out. A ridge shaped in a half circle curved around the small city from behind it. I’d asked Shara about it as we’d neared Glaine. She’d told me most people visiting the capital would take temporary residence in Norret because it was cheaper and friendlier than Glaine.
“Kayren’s in that small town.” I pointed. “At an inn called the Bedwarm, but I don’t know where that is.”
“I do. But first we have to stop somewhere on the way. I need—”
“We don’t have time,” I interrupted.
“Four men are coming for her, you said. I’d think you’d want to turn the odds in your favor if you could. I’m getting the rest of my party. They’re in Norret as well.”
“Fine.”
“Why did Swenn kill your mother?”
We had time, so I started at the beginning. I told him about moving to Cessri with my mother to get away from my abusive father. I recalled learning to manipulate pyforial energy at the river with Eizle, Swenn becoming jealous, and the horrendous teasing that followed. It sparked fury as I realized he’d fallen into the same habit at the castle, forcing everyone to make my life miserable.
“I was a gullible child,” I explained, “and he convinced me I needed to reunite with my father. Swenn tricked me into taking half of my mother’s money and giving it to him for a carriage ride back to my father in Lanhine. He pried the key to my mother’s house from my hands and later used it in an attempt to take the rest of her money. She must’ve come in and caught him, and he murdered her. That’s the kind of man he is, always has been.”
We rode in silence for a while. It felt good to get the truth out, even if nothing came of it.
I went on. “Eizle wasn’t like his brother. Swenn must’ve done something to him, probably to Kayren as well. Eizle told me they were in love. Now that he’s dead, Kayren and I are next on Swenn’s list. Possibly followed by my aunt and Shara and anyone else who knows the truth about what kind of man he is.”
I looked to Henry, but he just stared ahead as if he wasn’t listening.
“He stabbed Eizle over and over, kicking and spitting on him. His own brother.” A tear threatened to fall from my eye before I wiped it. “Like everyone else, I thought Eizle was there to kill the king and anyone who got in his way. But he only wanted to kill Swenn. It’s my fault that Eizle’s dead and Swenn isn’t.”
“So this is why you won’t leave Sumar,” Terren said.
“I hope you realize helping me save Kayren will make things very complicated for your party.”
“If we get to her before them, they won’t know anyone from Ovira was involved.”
I pointed at Henry with a thumb over my shoulder. “Not exactly.”
“I’ll still stand by you. Let me worry about the consequences of that choice.”
We rode hard into Norret. I let Terren take the lead. The roads stayed wide between the homes and shops, shanties in comparison to those in Glaine. Soon we came to a humble inn with six horses tied up outside, seemingly unattended. A day wouldn’t go by before they were stolen in larger cities. Terren loosely secured the reins of his horse in a hurry. Henry and I followed suit.
I followed Terren inside to what had to be the door to his room. He threw it open, startling a young man I recognized to be Steffen sitting at a table. He dropped his book in fright.
“Effie, Alex!” Terren called.
“They’re not here,” Steffen replied.
“Where’d they go?”
“Eff caught a rumor about a man who’s a pyforial mage. Alex and I tried to get her to wait for you before confronting him, but he’s supposedly leaving the city tomorrow, so she left and Alex followed. Did you already meet with King Quince?”
He ignored the question. “Find them and bring them with you to the Bedwarm Inn. Make sure they’re prepared to fight if needed. I don’t have time to explain.”
Steffen’s hands came up as he rocked forward. “What?”
“Listen to me. If Neeko or I aren’t at the Bedwarm Inn when you get there, follow the disappearance response code. Get your sword and go now!”
Steffen shot up and disappeared into a bedroom. Terren ran out of the inn, Henry and I behind him.
It was a short ride to Kayren’s inn. “Stay outside with the horses,” Terren instructed, jumping from his saddle.
“No, I’m coming with you inside.”
“I’m not getting her without you, Neeko. I just need to figure out which room she’s in. Trust me.”
“Fine.” It’s amazing how persuasive conviction can be when mixed with a sheer lack of time.
I wasn’t sure if Swenn’s men would appear as commoners or if they’d be clad in armor with our kingdom’s sigil. All I could do was look for a group on horseback. Glancing around, I stopped when I caught Henry’s brown-green eyes looking at me almost intimately.
“What?”
He looked away without giving me any sign as to what he was thinking. What would he do if we fought with Swenn’s men? My gaze shifted to those arms of his the size of legs.
Terren returned, sweating. He grabbed the reins of his horse. “Follow me.”
We pulled the animals around to the back of the building.
“Leave them here,” Terren said, already running back to the front.
“There’s nowhere to tie them!” I called after him.
“You’re trusting me, remember?”
I sprinted to catch up, Henry right behind me. I looked back at the horses. They seemed to be still for now, but how long would they stay like that?
There were no signs of the four coming for Kayren, but they’d no doubt be here soon. We slowed to a jog within the inn only because we would be throwing tables and people out of our way if we didn’t. Terren seemed to know which room was Kayren’s. He thanked the innkeeper as we passed by, receiving a concerned glance in response. Soon he was knocking, waiting, then pounding on a door.
“Kayren, my name is Terren. I’m with two others who’re here to help you because you’re in danger. You need to open this door right now.”
Silence followed.
“This is regarding Eizle and Swenn,” I added.
The door swung open to reveal a wary woman who looked like Shara. Well, not so much like Shara, as no one could look like her i
n my eyes. But Kayren appeared just as young and innocent. She probably was sixteen. Eizle had been, after all. I’m not sure why I pictured someone older, someone ready to face the world like she needed to now. Swenn wasn’t just willing to kill her. He was eager.
“We have to leave,” I said. “Swenn’s guards are coming for you right now.”
Panic crept into her face. “He wouldn’t.” There was no certainty in her tone.
“He would,” I assured her. “We need to leave.”
She ran to her bed and started throwing clothes and bags onto it. The three of us stepped into the room. I locked the door. Kayren spun to us and froze.
“You’re Swenn’s men already here to kill me!”
Terren and I pushed our hands out in a gesture of surrender. He spoke before I could. “We’re telling you the truth.”
“Who are you?” She pointed at Henry. “You have the sigil of the North on your armor!”
“We don’t have time to explain everything,” I said. “But we are here to help. I’m Neeko. Did Eizle ever mention me?”
“Neeko. Oh my gods.”
I went to the half-packed bags and helped her stuff in her belongings. “Hurry. I’ll explain everything when we have the chance.”
“Quiet.” Terren had his ear pressed against the door.
Everyone became still.
“They’re here and asking about her room,” he whispered, running to Kayren and grabbing her bags with one hand, her arm with the other. A dress spilled out of one of her open bags before she could button it shut. She didn’t stop to pick it up. Terren threw open the window out the back of the inn…where our horses were, I remembered. Smart man.
There was a knock on the door. It wasn’t long before they’d kick it down.
“I’ll stall them,” I whispered. “Take her somewhere safe. Henry can’t know, so don’t tell me. He’ll stay with me.”
“All right. Don’t tell them I was involved,” Terren whispered back, then helped Kayren through the window. “I need to keep things civil between your king and mine as long as I can.” He started through after her.
They pounded on the door. “Open up right now, Kayren!”
