by K. F. Breene
The other two continued to shove until their dying man had knocked Denessa out of the way. One Graygual advanced on Sonson, lunging. Sonson battered the sword away and raked his mental power across both Graygual as the other charged at Punston. They stumbled, grunting as Sonson stabbed mentally. He followed with a physical thrust of his sword, piercing the Graygual through the heart. Punston swung his knife down at the hunching Graygual, stabbing him high in his back.
“Sorry about the blood, Boris,” Salange said as she yanked the first Graygual off Denessa by the hair.
“I’m sorry, too,” Denessa said, looking down at herself covered in crimson.
Sonson was the first out of the inn, looking around with his Therma for the other Graygual he knew where there. Sure enough, five formed a semicircle, allowing them no easy escape. Except…they didn’t have any Inkna with them. This was no contest.
Sonson joined power with the others, feeling it bolster and pound, before each unleashed a kill strike. Their mind slashed into the Graygual, finding no resistance. Screams pierced the afternoon as each of them lost the strength in their legs. Sonson was moving a moment later, sword flashing in the sun. He cleaved into a Graygual neck, almost severing the head to quicken the man’s death. Salange was beside him, stabbing her knife repeatedly into a Graygual chest and stomach.
When Sonson turned to the others, all he found were impatient Shadow standing over a pile of bodies.
“Let’s go.” Sonson started a jog through the town. He made it halfway to the traders’ stalls before a blearing heat seared his brain. He slammed up his shields as his head swung to the side, seeing the Inkna hiding between two buildings a moment after he felt their presence.
“I’ll take him,” Denessa said, putting on a burst a speed toward the vastly outnumbered Inkna. She reached him with a bundle of aggression before thrusting. Her sword stabbed through his chest.
“There are more up ahead,” Punston called.
Graygual fanned out at the mouth of the street leading down to the docks. They were preventing escape. Still without any Inkna.
“For officers, they aren’t very bright.” Before Sonson could attack mentally, arrows flew from overhead. They landed in soft bodies, the fletchings quivering as they stuck.
Surprised shrieks and grunts accompanied the Graygual clutching at the wood sticking from their midsection. Another three arrows found their mark then Denessa was upon them, hacking and slashing to kill them faster.
“She needs to bed someone,” Punston said, watching Denessa with a quirked grin. He didn’t rush forward to help. “She has too much pent-up aggression.”
Sonson could barely make out people disappearing from the nearby rooftops, slinking out of sight once the deed was done. “Let’s go. We need to keep moving before they call in more.”
They reached the docks to find more bodies strewn about. Most had marks of claws and teeth, with shredded necks and torsos. The animals stood over them, blood splashed across their faces and trailing from their feet.
“The Graygual are trying to keep us from moving on,” Boas called as he tied a pack to a horse.
“The animals came in handy.” Punston gave one longing look back toward the city before he jogged to his mount. “How close are we to leaving?”
“Just about ready.” Boas glanced at the other horses and riders. “Will we alter our path?”
Sonson shook his head as he found his own horse ready and waiting for him. “No need. Staying off the main travel routes is still the best option.”
As they got underway, Sonson’s mind drifted back to what Boris had said. And then to the archers helping from the rooftops. The people would take back their homes.
The question remained, would the Chosen know how to call them into action?
Chapter Eleven
“Incoming, sir!”
Cayan finished off the last of the mud-like draught Marc had made and passed the cup back. The youth had found a concoction that would rejuvenate the Gift in record time. It was made of plants from the Shadow Lands, and since those plants didn’t grow around here, would soon be in short supply. Thank God for it, though, because Cayan had drastically overdone it against that band of Inkna. He’d held out as long as possible, but there were too many of them. If his men hadn’t shot the first few Inkna out of the trees, he wouldn’t have lasted a quarter as long.
“Who’ve we got?” Cayan asked, wiping his hands and tossing the cloth at Xavier. He met Sanders on the city side of their hastily erected camp. Three men on horseback came their way, all Graygual.
“They don’t mean to fight, that’s obvious,” Sanders growled, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. “How’s your head?”
“It’ll do for non-Inkna.”
Sanders grunted in response.
All officers—two Graygual had three stripes, and one had four. They stopped a few paces away, sitting straight in their saddle. With a city full of Graygual, they had the upper hand here, and they knew it.
One of the Graygual, a smug-looking man with thin lips, spoke. “I wish to speak to the Captain.”
“That is me.” Cayan stepped closer.
“We are here to deliver the Hunter’s terms.” The man with the four stripes waited a moment before he spoke again. “He wishes for Shanti of the Shumas and Cayan, the Captain of these lands, to present themselves to him. He will then escort you to the Being Supreme without pain or hardship. In return, he will quit these lands and leave your people as they are, completely unharmed. If you fail to abide by these terms, he will kill the majority of your people. You have a few beauties in this land. They will be distributed as entertainment.”
A flash of rage boiled deep in Cayan’s blood. He stared up at the dead man sitting on his horse. “And how do we know he’ll keep his word?”
“As evidenced by his upkeep of your city so far. He has not harmed anyone who followed the rules. He has no interest in these people. His interest is in you and the violet-eyed girl.”
“You say he has kept my city intact, and yet he won’t let me near it. How can I be sure?”
The officer hesitated. “We can bring out one of your people to declare the state of the city.”
“The Hunter must think he is dealing with an imbecile.” Cayan paused a moment, wondering if the Graygual would comment. When nothing came, he said, “As I’m sure he knows, I need to view the city myself. As I’m sure he also knows, walking inside those walls would be putting myself in a situation where I’ll be caged in. Shanti isn’t here. She is traveling with the Shadow who were delayed. So you can’t have us both at present, and Xandre doesn’t want just me. He needs her. So really, you’re wasting my time.”
The Graygual’s hand flexed and then formed a fist again. It was the only movement revealing his irritation. “You have very few men out here to back up these words. I wonder, what makes you so cocky?”
“I just took out three high-powered Inkna. And look at me. I’m ready to take out three more. I retreated to give you a chance to play nice. I don’t want my people harmed. I also won’t sit here for long, allowing you to reside in my city. The sands are running through the hourglass. I’ll give you until Shanti gets here, and then I will walk in and set matters to rights.”
The Graygual smirked. “You blow a lot of wind. But as you say, we need the girl.” The officer sat, looking down from his horse. Analyzing.
Cayan let the extreme, burning hatred show in his expression. He let his desire to skin these men alive bleed through his gaze. And he stayed perfectly balanced, as though holding a sword and ready to swing it, to foreshadow what would come in the end. The Hunter may have the upper hand at present, yes. But as soon as Shanti took the lay of the land, they’d even the odds. He and she were a remarkable team, and his men were some of the best. They just needed time to prove it.
“Very well,” the Graygual finally said. “I’ll take your message to the Superior Officer. Expect an answer you will not like.”
As
the men walked their horses away, just as slowly as they came, Cayan barely prevented himself from exhaling in fatigue.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Sanders said.
“I do, too. If we see them approach again, keep the men back.” Cayan’s gut twisted. “I don’t want them seeing what the Graygual will probably bring. I don’t want that on their conscience.”
A thundercloud crossed Sanders’ expression. “You know that Shanti won’t let them kill someone. Rather than worry about the Graygual response, we need to figure out what to do when she turns that whole place upside down.”
“And then what to do when she trades herself for everyone else’s life,” Xavier said in a hollow tone. He waited by the tents with a solemn expression. “I don’t think we have a week, sir. We might not even have a few days.”
* * *
Shanti felt a rise of fear and then angry determination from Cayan, distant though he was, as she and the others crouched behind a house in the shadows. She pushed his emotions to the side. She’d need to block him out in order to keep her focus. She couldn’t afford the distraction.
Two Graygual stood down the lane, silent and watching. Their minds were dull and movements slow. Normal men would be sleeping on their feet. These men were either trained very well, or terrified of failing at their duty. Probably both.
Shanti searched the familiar landscape of the city, delicately spreading her Gift. Most of the Inkna were spread around the wall, no doubt watching for Cayan. Her light mental touch, only lingering for a moment before retreating, had gone unnoticed by all but two of the strongest. As soon as she backed off, she was forgotten.
The Inkna in this town were complacent. At least for now.
“The males seem to be under more scrutiny,” Shanti said quietly, checking out the pockets of mental minds. “I recognize a few, like Lucius and Sterling. They are in the prison.”
“That makes sense,” Ruisa whispered. “The higher officers are the most dangerous, right?”
Shanti gauged the emotions of the men. They were restless, uncomfortable, and their hope was starting to dwindle. The confinement, or something else, was breaking them down.
A broken man was an easy man to control.
“When I was in the Graygual camp,” Rohnan said, “my guards had a key to my chains when I needed to be moved, but otherwise the key was kept elsewhere. They thought, correctly, that I could find a way to take the key if left in my vicinity. When the keys were absent, I was poked and prodded at all hours. I rarely slept for long periods of time. Sleep deprivation and humiliation muddled my mind. I can only guess that the practices are similar here.”
Rachie moved a little closer. His smile hadn’t returned since he had slid down the wall on his face. “Not many army men could fit in the prison, though.”
“No. There are many more within the park. Graygual surround them, helped by a few Inkna.” Shanti couldn’t help a scowl. “There are so many Inkna in this city. The Hunter is prepared.”
“And our force is small.”
“Very small. Thank the Elders that Cayan has excellent intuition with the Gift. But he’s still largely inexperienced.” Shanti mapped out the land as well as she could, constantly worried about finding an Inkna that might be paying attention. She learned quickly that areas with a greater male population also had more guards. Those with more females were controlled by a smaller enemy presence. It seemed that the Graygual segregated parts of the city, probably putting the more dangerous of citizens in one location. The Hunter was well equipped for taking over hostile territory.
Shanti’s mind stumbled over a cluster of active women. She felt their minds spark and burst with various emotions, as though in lively debate. Given how late it was, that was more than strange. One mind within that group she recognized immediately. “Molly.”
Ruisa perked up. “Is she with anyone else?”
“Yes.” Shanti told Ruisa what she could feel with her Gift.
“We need to get over there!” Rohnan slapped a hand over Ruisa’s mouth to stop her words. She peeled Rohnan’s fingers away and continued in a lower tone. “That’s the Women’s Circle. We need to meet with them.”
“I agree,” Shanti said, mapping out the quietest route. “We’ll see how much they know about what’s going on.”
“They’ll know a lot.” Ruisa nodded adamantly. “They’ll be right in the heart of it, I bet.”
Gracas rolled his eyes.
“What about the orphans?” Ruisa asked.
“What about the orphans?” Shanti repeated. “The Hunter wouldn’t kill children unless he needed to control an uprising.”
“Are they together?” Ruisa’s eyes were intent.
Frowning in confusion, Shanti checked that area of the city. As expected, a horde of kids were gathered together, a mess of energy regardless of the late hour. “They’re fine, as far as I can tell.”
“We should check in with them. Even stay in the orphan house tonight if we can. They can help.”
“She’s cracked,” Gracas whispered to Leilius.
“They know the ins and outs of this city better than anyone,” Ruisa fired back. “Whatever holes lie in the Women’s Circle’s knowledge, the orphans will be able to fill. It’s always been that way. Trust me.”
Shanti didn’t want to waste the time arguing. Nor did she discount the sentiment. Instead, she stood, waiting for the others to stand with her. “First we’ll visit the women and see what they can tell us. Ruisa, Leilius, which one of you knows this city best?”
Ruisa said, “Me.” At the same time as Gracas and Leilius both said, “Her.”
“Okay.” Shanti pulled the girl to her. After telling her where the Graygual were stationed between their current location and the women, she said, “We need to get there without getting seen.”
“Easy.” Ruisa turned and scurried back toward the wall.
“The orphans are like rats after dark,” Leilius said as he followed behind Shanti. “They’re the ones you should’ve trained to spy, S’am. I’ve been in trouble loads of times for sneaking out, but the orphans hardly ever get caught.”
“Shh!” Ruisa ducked into a shadow between two houses. She peered around the corner.
“There’s no one there,” Shanti helped.
Ruisa stepped out and hurried to the next sheltered area, peering around the corner. After a few more times of Shanti telling her they were clear, Ruisa finally learned just to keep going until Shanti had her slow or stop.
Halfway through the city, having used narrow alleys and small paths Shanti hadn’t known existed, the first cluster of Graygual stood in their way. Ruisa looked at Shanti from beside a pungent garbage bin. She shook her head a fraction.
Shanti searched, trying to remember if there was a way through the holes of Graygual from her limited experience of the city. She didn’t know of one. Peering through a bush to the shadowed street lit by a few oil lamps, she saw the Graygual, standing idly. Two chatted with each other, their minds troubled.
“Let’s wait until one or more moves on,” Rohnan said, looking away, watching their backs.
Shanti squinted up at the sliver of moon, and then back at the street in front of them. “If we wait, we’ll probably miss the Women’s Circle.”
“If we go, these kids are sure to get caught,” Rohnan said in the Shumas language.
“Go…kids…caught…” Gracas put his hand on his hip. “We aren’t as good as you, but we aren’t hopeless, either. I can stay quiet.”
Shanti and Rohnan stared at Gracas for a moment. Shanti had no idea he was learning their language. She had no doubt that Marc must have had a hand in that.
“He’s right, though,” Shanti said, biting her lip in indecision. “They aren’t great, but they are passable. These Graygual don’t even suspect anyone in the city. They worry, but there is no urgency in it. I’d bet their concern is with the outside threat, or from the Hunter.”
“This is a big risk,” Rohnan warn
ed.
“The risk is where to stash the body,” Shanti replied.
“I can think of three places,” Ruisa said.
Shanti blinked, shocked mute for the second time. Regaining herself, she said, “Then the risk is being able to hide the Graygual absence. Regardless, we are wasting time.” Shanti gave Rohnan a level stare. “Do you have a better idea?”
“Ideas are your territory. I am but the voice of reason.”
Gracas huffed. Shanti had to agree with the sentiment.
“Okay.” She looked at Gracas, then at Ruisa. Finally at Leilius. “Follow us, but you don’t have to be our shadows. We are a team, but we are not glued together. If we need to split up, try to stay close, stay quiet, and stay hidden. If you get separated and in trouble, hide. I’ll come back for you eventually.”
The three nodded, their brows bent in concentration and determination.
Shanti set out at a fast but light walk, her back bent, sticking to the shadows. The rest fanned out behind her, doing the same, but picking different crevices or shadowed areas in which to travel. Besides Rohnan, Leilius was by far the most accomplished at this, having had a lot more practice. The other two were doing well too, though. Without twigs and branches to constantly step around, or the concern of leaving tracks, they could concentrate all their effort on moving as quietly as they could. Shanti rarely heard a sound from any of them.
She approached the two chatting Graygual and slipped between a bush and the wall. Hunkering for a moment, she waited until the others stashed themselves out of the way. She threw a rock. It skittered down the lane.
The two Graygual didn’t even glance in that direction. Their conversation was their sole focus. Good.
Beyond them, partially obstructed by the corner of a house, was a solitary Graygual, watchful but static.
Shanti hurried to the next shadow, watching the Graygual as she felt the others move behind her, inching closer. She ran to the next shadow, then waited. Twice more she did this, hating how tedious this was with a group that weren’t very well synced. Finally, though, she was in earshot of the hushed words.
