steel and fire 03 - dance of steel

by rivet, jordan

  As they approached the Pass, they discovered that the Air wasn’t the only barrier they’d have to face. Soldiers camped on both sides of the road. They had erected a wall of fresh-cut timber taller than any horse could jump directly across the pass. It smelled of new sap and sawdust. Less-pleasant odors drifted from the army camp: latrines and sweat and burnt stew.

  They drew nearer, hoping to see whether or not it would be possible to climb over the wall. Dara frowned up at the sharpened stakes jutting out from the top. These were angled toward the pass, clearly meant to keep out invading forces. If they were careful, they might be able to climb over, though she wasn’t sure what they’d find on the other side.

  “Hey you!” called a voice. “What’s your business?”

  A young soldier approached them, hand on the hilt of a saber.

  “Nothing.” Dara started to walk away, hiding her face, but Rid didn’t follow.

  “Hi there!” He strode directly up to the soldier, arms swinging. “I’m just in from the countryside. What are you fellas up to?”

  “Up to?” the soldier said incredulously. “Haven’t you heard?”

  “Not so much traffic down in Roan Town,” Rid said. “Everyone in Tollan seems more skittish than a spring pony.”

  “The Soolen army is marching on Rallion City,” the soldier said.

  “Aye. We heard that. But what’s all this?” Rid indicated the barrier, studying it with a guileless curiosity that was actually pretty effective. His country-bumpkin act was significantly less suspicious than Dara’s efforts to assess the barrier’s weaknesses. Probably because it wasn’t really an act.

  “We’re here to make sure no enemy soldiers get through Fork Town,” the soldier said, puffing his chest out importantly. He looked younger than Rid, with a pattern of blemishes marring his cheeks.

  “What are the chances of that?” Rid asked. “I heard they got plenty of men camping in Cindral Forest.”

  “You can never be too careful,” the soldier said. “We could see some action here. It’s an important posting.” He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself. Being sent south when the invasion was happening to the north must not sit well with him.

  “What’s this barrier made out of?” Rid asked, moving closer to the logs.

  “What’s it look like? Wood.”

  “Just wood? That burns easy, don’t it?” Rid looked at Dara significantly. For a man who had been afraid of the Fire just a few days ago, he seemed pretty excited about the prospect of burning things down.

  “So what?” the soldier said. “We got fifty men here. They’re not going to let anyone through without a fight.”

  “Fifty, eh?” Rid said. “I heard there were Air Witches up here. We don’t hold with their kind in Roan Town.”

  “Those bags of wind are harmless. They came out here and stared at the Pass while we were putting up the logs, all humming and swaying. I didn’t see anything. Apparently the Air will warn them if anyone comes, but I figure our scouts are good enough for that.”

  “I’m sure they are,” Rid said. “I wouldn’t like to meet an Air Witch.”

  “They’re not dangerous,” the soldier said with a shrug. “They’re peace-loving folk. We’re the dangerous ones.”

  “Yeah?” Rid leaned against the log wall as if it were a pasture fence. “So this wall won’t suck the life out of the Soolens if they touch it or try to get past?”

  “It doesn’t work like that,” the soldier said. “You Roan Towners don’t know much, do you?”

  “Hey now,” Rid said pleasantly. “I only wish I could be in the army one day. You keep up the good work here.”

  “We most certainly will.” The soldier stood a little straighter.

  “Say . . .” Rid began, his voice almost too casual. “You think my friend and I could climb up the barrier for a look at the other side? I’d sure love to see it. I ain’t never been to Kurn Pass before.”

  “Climb the barrier?” The soldier chuckled. “I can think of better things to do with a girl. There’s this—”

  “Sunders!” A harsh voice snapped toward them, and the young soldier paled.

  “Oops. It’s the captain. You’d best be on your way.”

  Rid didn’t move. “You were saying we could try climb—”

  “Sunders! What are you doing? Who are those two?”

  “We’d better go,” Dara whispered, tugging on Rid’s sleeve.

  Rid hesitated. “He’s almost—”

  “We can’t draw attention to ourselves,” Dara said.

  “But—”

  It was too late. The owner of the harsh voice marched up to them, making it impossible to steal away.

  “What do you want?” he demanded.

  Sunders raised his hands placatingly. “They were just asking about the barrier, Captain Fr—”

  “The barrier?” The captain’s hand went to the saber at his hip.

  “Just curious,” Rid said. “We’ll get out of your way, sir.”

  “Be quick about it,” the captain said. “And don’t let me catch you near here again.”

  Rid and Dara nodded and tried to edge around the captain before he changed his mind. They were not supposed to be attracting the notice of the local cavalry. But just when Dara thought they were free, the captain shot out a hand and grabbed her arm.

  “Don’t I know you?” he said.

  “I don’t believe so.” Had he been part of the group searching for Siv too? Dara didn’t remember him, but she’d had more-important things on her mind at the time.

  “You aren’t from Trure,” he said, his grip tightening on Dara’s arm. “That’s a foreigner’s accent. You some sort of spy?”

  “She’s no spy,” Rid said. “She’s my lady love. We’re just up from the country for a visit to Tollan. I ain’t never been to a city before.”

  The captain snorted. “This backwater is hardly a city.” His grip on Dara’s arm didn’t ease. “That’s a mighty fine blade for a country boy’s lady love.”

  “Captain Frem!” another soldier approached from the camp. “There’s a message for you. Direct from King Atrin!”

  Captain Frem’s mouth tightened.

  “Where are you staying in Tollan?” he asked.

  “The Vintner’s Rest,” Dara said, figuring it would be all too easy for him to check her story. She met his gaze steadily, daring him to try something.

  “I don’t want to see you sniffing around the barrier again,” he said.

  “You won’t.”

  Finally, Captain Frem nodded and released Dara’s arm. “Move along.”

  “Yes, sir!” Rid said. “Come, my love, let’s go get us some pie.” He looped his arm through Dara’s and with a brief nod at Sunders escorted her back toward the town.

  “That was too close,” Dara said, dropping Rid’s arm as soon as they were out of sight of the soldiers.

  “If only that Captain Frem fellow hadn’t turned up,” Rid said. “Sunders might have given us a boost over the wall himself.”

  “That was a good effort,” Dara said. “Maybe next time you could warn me before you waltz up and start talking to soldiers.”

  Rid shrugged. “No problem.”

  “We’d better get Vine,” Dara said as they hurried back up the High Road. “That captain isn’t going to forget us.”

  “He wouldn’t hurt her, would he?” Rid said. “We have to hurry!”

  Dara caught his arm before he could take off down the street. “I’m sure that message from the king will keep him busy. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves by running through the streets.”

  Even so, Dara picked up her pace too. She didn’t like the idea of staying in Tollan for long now that they’d alerted Captain Frem to their location. But how were they going to get past that barrier with a whole company of soldiers watching it? From what she had seen, it would be a slow climb if they managed it at all. And burning through the wall with Rumy’s dragon fire—or anything she could Wo
rk—would draw far too many eyes. They needed another option.

  Dara mulled over the problem as she and Rid hurried back along the High Road. Not fully aware of where she was going, she accidentally jostled against someone.

  Someone tall, with sandy-blond hair and a long, thin nose. For the second time that day, an iron grip closed around her arm.

  “There you are,” said Vex Rollendar. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  29.

  The Cellar

  DARA tried to twist out of Lord Vex’s grip, but one of his men appeared and grabbed her other arm. She struggled frantically against both of them. The newcomer forced her arm behind her back, and Vex took control. He was surprisingly strong. Dara’s joints screamed in protest as he tightened his hold on her elbows.

  The other man yanked her Savven blade from her sheath. He groped for more weapons, not being subtle about what else he pawed in the process. Blind panic jolted through her like lightning. She wasn’t going down without a fight!

  Dara threw her weight backward into Lord Vex, knocking his jaw with the back of her skull, and used the momentum to kick at the other man’s kneecaps. He grunted and stepped back out of her reach.

  She started to scream, but a hand clamped over her mouth. She smelled old leather and sweat as rough fingernails dug into her cheek. A third man had joined Lord Vex and was helping him regain control of her from behind. He seized her head by the base of her braid so she couldn’t try another headbutt.

  “We must get off the street,” Lord Vex hissed. “Quickly.”

  The two men lifted her up between them. Dara flailed violently, trying not to let terror overcome her, trying to break free. It was futile. She’d held her own against bigger and stronger swordsmen, but wrestling was a different matter. She had no chance as Lord Vex’s men overpowered her and steered her out of the crowd.

  Shadows fell over them as they entered an alley. It happened so fast that many of the passersby probably hadn’t noticed the young woman being carried away by three grown men. No one did anything to help. Dara struggled wildly, her heartbeat frantic. Where was Rid? Had he betrayed them after all?

  Taking little notice of her efforts to escape, the men hauled her through the alley and around the corner of a massive, windowless building. Dara wanted to keep fighting, but she forced herself to go limp and drag her feet along the ground. She may not be a match for these men, but she wouldn’t make it easy either.

  They approached a trapdoor set in the base of the building. Dara started thrashing again, fear lending her strength. Rough hands pulled her closer and closer to the door. It couldn’t end like this. She scraped at the dirt with her heels. If she left signs of a struggle, maybe Vine could come after her. Her Air Sense should still work on this side of Kurn Pass. That might be Dara’s only hope. She couldn’t defeat three men unarmed.

  Lord Vex relinquished her arm to the man who’d taken her Savven blade and pulled open the trapdoor. The opening gaped like a wound. After one final glimpse of the sky, Dara was yanked into a darkened cellar. The door banged shut, cutting off the light.

  They descended a flight of wooden stairs. The two guards lifted Dara right off her feet to keep her from thumping against every step. When they reached the bottom, there was a scraping sound, and a light flared to life. Lord Vex held a lantern aloft.

  They were in an earthen cellar packed with barrels of wine. A sweet, oaky smell permeated the cramped space. Lord Vex led the way down an aisle between stacks of barrels, a pool of light surrounding his broad shoulders. The bodyguards dragged Dara after him. She felt panic tightening around her chest the farther into the cellar they got. They must be after Siv. Would they kill her when they found out she didn’t know where he was? She’d be dead long before Vine could follow the Air to her.

  Then Lord Vex’s light reached the back of the cellar. Sitting in a chair against the packed dirt wall was Vine herself. Dara’s heart sank. Vine sat upright, regal as a queen, but her ankles and wrists were bound. She wore no shoes. They must have snatched her straight from her bed in the Vintner’s Rest.

  “Tie her up,” Lord Vex said.

  “Yes, sir.” The man who’d grabbed Dara’s braid shoved her roughly into a chair beside Vine. Dara wasted no time. She kicked both boots straight into his groin the moment he loosened his grip to reach for a rope.

  The momentum shoved her chair back into the wall, jolting her painfully. Her captor doubled over, cursing vilely. She lashed out with her fists as he bent forward. Her first strike landed on the side of his cheek. An instant later she flew out of her chair and hit the floor. The other guard had smacked her across the face. He moved so fast she hadn’t seen him coming. Darkness oozed across her vision as she tried to get up, but a boot landed on her back, forcing her to the ground.

  “Enough,” Lord Vex said. “Can’t you two brutes handle one girl without dramatics?”

  The guard Dara had kicked fell to his knees on the cellar floor, still wheezing, but the other quickly tied her arms and hoisted her into the chair. Her head rang like a bell at the jerky movement. The guard who’d hit her had hairy arms and a broad, knobby forehead. He wasn’t gentle, and he leered as he pulled apart her legs to tie one ankle to each chair leg.

  The other managed to climb to his feet again. He wore a battered leather vest, and he had a rough pattern of pockmarks across his face. He spit in the dirt at Dara’s feet, but he stayed well away from her, hands still hovering over his groin.

  “Are you all right?” Vine asked as the hairy-armed man finished tying her up and stepped back.

  “I’ve been better.” Dara’s head pounded, and sparks blossomed in front of her. She blinked until her vision cleared.

  Lord Vex stepped closer, holding up his light. It was an ordinary lantern with a wax candle and mirrors inside the casing. Dara had already tried reaching for Fire, but there was none to be found nearby. Vex must have known about her ability and brought her to a place without easy access to Fireworks. He was tall and lean, like his deceased brother and nephew, but his movements were quick and decisive, unlike the indolent Bolden and the cold, stiff Von. This was a man of action. He was dressed for travel, with a cloak covering his red coat. Dara was certain he was the man she had seen talking to Yen back in Roan Town. And he had hired Rid. The boy must have decided to betray them after all.

  “Well,” Vex said. “That was even easier than expected. Your reputation may have overstated your competence, Miss Ruminor.”

  “What do you want from us?” Dara demanded.

  “I’d very much like to know where our former king is hiding,” Lord Vex said. “He killed my favorite nephew. And my new liege is interested in seeing his face—with or without his body.”

  “We don’t know where he is,” Dara said.

  “I doubt that very much,” Lord Vex said. “We’ve been following you for some time. I understand you have some sort of Air connection to him.”

  Damn it, Rid. He must have told Lord Vex everything. But when had he found the time? While she was checking on Rumy? It didn’t matter now.

  “The connection is gone,” Dara said. “We don’t know where he is.”

  “That’s not entirely accurate, my dear Dara,” Vine said.

  “What?”

  “I believe I found the connection again,” she said. “I’d have told our fine hosts earlier, but we were waiting for you to join us.”

  Vex exchanged glances with the pockmarked bodyguard and took a step closer to Vine.

  “Is that so?” he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

  “I can’t feel it down here in the cellar of course,” Vine said, “but as soon as we’re back in the Air, I can lead you straight to him.”

  Dara stared at Vine, wondering if she had been hit in the head too. If she truly had regained the connection, why would she tell Lord Vex? Was she hoping to lead him astray? She would have to be careful. The Rollendars were too cunning for that kind of trick.

  Vex certainly didn’t
look convinced. “Why would you do that?” he said.

  “I don’t want to die.” Vine’s eyes widened pleadingly, and she fluttered her thick eyelashes, leaning forward as much as she could when tied to a chair, somehow managing to push her chest out despite her bonds. A single tear clung to her lashes like a diamond. Dara nearly rolled her eyes. There was no way that would work.

  But Lord Vex stared at Vine for a moment as she looked up at him with her big, brown eyes. Then he cleared his throat. “We shall see,” he said gruffly.

  He walked away from them, jerking his head to draw the pockmarked man with him. They spoke in low voices while the one with the hairy arms loomed over Dara and Vine. He had buckled Dara’s Savven blade at his waist, and the sight made hot anger rush through her. He also carried a broadsword on his back and knives in his boot and his belt. His fists were weapon enough, though. Dara’s face still stung from his blow.

  She glanced at her fellow captive. Vine appeared composed, but she kept biting her lip, something she didn’t do very often. She must be more scared than she was letting on. She gazed at Lord Vex and his companion, who were still conferring in the pool of light from the lantern. When Vex glanced over at her, she gave him a tremulous smile. Dara hoped she had a plan.

  She tested the strength of her bonds, racing through their options. She had to assume Rid wouldn’t help them. He was probably already spending his payment for selling them out. But what about Rumy? If Vine had been taken from her bed in the inn, Rumy might still be sleeping away in the stables at the Vintner’s Rest. Unless the Rollendar men had killed him first. Dara tried not to dwell on that possibility.

  She remembered Madame Timon’s reaction when she described Siv to her. She was sure the woman knew something. What if she had alerted the Rollendars that Dara and Vine were separated and vulnerable?

  However they’d been found, Vex and his men had captured them without much difficulty. Vex must have decided this would be more efficient than following them. Dara tugged harder against her bonds, but they didn’t budge.

  Vex returned from the other side of the cellar and looked down his long nose at them. His sandy-blond hair swept neatly to the side over piercing blue eyes. He might have been handsome for an older man, if Dara didn’t want to stab him so badly.