by Janice Hardy
“The Duke owns the High Court—”
“—and the legitimate heir will—”
“Oh, this again? Who cares about legitimate heirs? Have they done anything to help us? You’re just trying to prove your family was right, that they supported the true Duke and those who ignored their counsel were wrong.”
“They were wrong!”
“So what? There’s no one from that side of the family left.”
“Yes, there is!”
“Rumors, nothing more. Myths told to bolster spirits. You’ve never been able to produce them or any proof they exist, so why should we believe you?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“If you need proof of what the Duke is doing,” I said in the angry lull, “we have proof right here.”
They stared at me.
“This is how I proved the Luminary was stealing Geveg’s pynvium, that the Duke was doing experiments on Takers. I rescued them and let them tell their stories. These enchanters and Takers can tell you more about what he’s done than anyone else. They’re your proof. Let them speak to the High Court.”
Siekte folded her arms. “They’d never make it there alive, and even if they did, no one would believe them.”
“Why not?”
“No one trusts Takers or enchanters anymore, not after what the Duke has done with them.”
Onderaan didn’t contradict her. Neither did anyone else, not even the enchanters we’d rescued.
“You’re fools,” I said. “Throwing back the fish ’cause you’re hungry for fowl. Who cares if they trust them or not! They can hear the stories, hear what’s going on, and maybe then some will start to listen. You can’t convince anyone if they don’t know what’s really going on.”
“Exactly what is going on?” said Jeatar from the base of the stairs. He looked tired, worn, filthy.
“You’re back!” I said, relieved. He’d seen how it had worked in Geveg. He could convince these fools that I was right.
“Nya destroyed the foundry,” Siekte said. “And by dawn the entire Baseeri army will be after us, if they aren’t already.”
“They’re out there now. I barely got inside the gates before they were sealed. You can see the smoke and flames from the wharf.” He walked over to me, glancing at the worried enchanters and Takers huddled in one corner of the room.
“He’ll hunt us down,” Siekte said. “The entire resistance. No one will be safe.”
“We weren’t safe before.”
“So we fight,” I said.
“Fight?” Siekte said. “He’s not going to send regular soldiers after us. He’ll send the Undying. You plan on fighting them?”
I smiled. “I’d actually prefer to fight them. A lot easier to defeat.”
Everyone stared at me like I’d gone mad, except those who knew me. They just grinned.
“You’re insane.”
Jeatar sighed. “No, Siekte, she’s just a lot smarter, tougher, and harder to kill than you are.”
But Tali wasn’t so hard to kill. The Duke might have his whole garrison out looking for me, but she was a lot easier to find. “Jeatar, if the Undying are being sent after us, does that mean the Taker camps are undefended? Or loosely guarded?”
He raised his eyebrows and I’d swear he was trying hard not to laugh. “You can’t be serious.”
“I have family to get out of there.”
He chuckled dryly. “No, you can’t get in. The camps are outside the walls, and no one is getting past the gates right now.” He waved a hand at the uniforms we still wore. “They’ve seen the uniforms now, so they won’t be fooled again and they’ll be double-checking every soldier to ensure they really are soldiers.”
“She’s even ruined that for us,” Siekte added.
“Let’s try to salvage this,” Onderaan said. “We can create opportunities to gain support for our side. People are already angry, and when the Duke starts breaking down doors and hauling innocent families away for questioning, those who weren’t sure will be convinced and join us.”
Siekte shook her head. “Those methods aren’t working. The boy was right about attacking. We need to use this mess and kill the Duke while we can.”
“It’ll cause a war.”
“And what she did won’t?”
“If there’s war,” I said, “then I need to get Tali. She’ll be in more danger than us.”
Onderaan snapped around to look at me. “Your sister’s name is Tali?”
There was recognition in his eyes, as if he’d finally figured out what I’d been denying for weeks. My hands and fingers went cold. I really didn’t want to answer that question. Not to him, not to myself. I didn’t want to face the truth. “Yes,” I whispered.
“Saints, you’re Peleven’s daughters?”
I nodded.
Onderaan sucked in a breath, then held his hands out to me. “He was my brother,” he said softly. “I’m your uncle.”
TWENTY-TWO
“No,” I said. “My father wasn’t Baseeri.” I wasn’t Baseeri.
Onderaan smiled. “His blood was, even if he didn’t think so either. He loved Geveg.”
“It’s not possible.”
Aylin grabbed my left hand, Danello took the other. They didn’t say a word, just held on tight. Jeatar gaped at me—Saints, they all gaped at me.
“You’re an Analov?” Jeatar asked.
“I’m a de’Analov. It’s different.”
Onderaan smiled sadly. “No, it isn’t. Peleven thought the Gevegian version made them fit in better, but I think he did it for Rhiassa.”
Mama.
“You think Tali is with the Undying?” he said.
“Yes. Vyand captured her, but we didn’t find her with the other Takers at the foundry. She can’t be anywhere else.” Unless the Duke had her, torturing her for my recklessness.
“I’m so sorry.”
So was I. I tried to ignore the shocked stares of those around me, but they cut into me like a knife, peeling back truths I hadn’t wanted to know. Onderaan was family. I had family in Baseer. My blood was Baseeri blood, same as my father’s. But I also had Gevegian blood, from my mother. What did that make me?
“Jeatar,” Onderaan said, “is there anything we can do?”
Siekte found her voice. “You’ve refused to act against the Duke, yet now you’ll do it for a niece you’ve never even met?”
“I have met them. I just thought they died with my brother. I haven’t seen Nya since my father was killed.”
“Sorille,” I whispered. My grandfather died in Sorille, with so many of the Pynvium Consortium.
Siekte nodded. “Sorille, yes. Look what your family did there. Thousands died because they refused to act. You want to duplicate that failure?”
I lifted my head. What did my family do in Sorille?
Jeatar stepped closer to her, inches from her face. “The Analovs were not responsible for what happened in Sorille.”
She didn’t step away, didn’t move at all. “They defied the Duke, forced his hand. All they had to do was turn over—”
“That’s enough!” Onderaan yanked them apart. “We’re not here to debate history.”
“History is all this is about for you,” Siekte said. “Two brothers fighting over one throne.”
“Three,” Jeatar said. “There were three brothers.”
She scoffed. “Bespaar doesn’t count—he never had a chance.”
“The Duke still killed him.”
“Only because he was hiding in Sorille.” Siekte pushed both hands through her hair. “This is crazy. Both of the Duke’s brothers are dead and he has the throne, so we’re arguing over stuff that doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Of course it matters,” Onderaan said.
“To you maybe, which is the problem. We just want the Duke gone and someone new in his place. You want justice for past wrongs. There is no justice here, Onderaan.”
“There’s just vengeance?” I asked quietly.
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Siekte paused, looking at me as if she wasn’t sure what to make of me. “It’s about doing what’s right.”
I laughed and sank down on the closest chair, which seem to confuse her more. “Doing what’s right is never easy—trust me, I know. You think you’re right, but you lose track of what you were trying to do all along and then there’s blood and screaming and death. Doing a bad thing for a good end just sours the good.”
“You’ll understand when you’re older.”
“Unless you cause a war, then I won’t get any older.”
She bristled. “You’ve done much more to cause that on your own.”
“Siekte, that’s enough,” Jeatar said. “What’s done is done, and like it or not, we have to deal with it. Danello is right about the Duke being distracted, so let’s use that. Contact our people, get them in place, reach out to those who haven’t been sure. Get to the members of the High Court. Tell them what’s happened, what the Duke has done. Saints, take one of those enchanters with you if you need to.”
“You can’t just use us,” Sorg said. “We won’t be prisoners anymore.”
“Fine, so ask the enchanters nicely if they’re willing to help. If not, tell their story anyway.”
“Do as he says, Siekte,” Onderaan said quietly. “Gather our people. Prepare for what’s coming. Perhaps some good will come of it.”
She hesitated, her gaze darting to Jeatar, but she shook her head. “Nothing good will come of this mess. You failed us, Onderaan, same as your legitimate heir. You do what you want, but I’m not following you anymore. If you’d listened to me, we could have used this stupid theft as a diversion and coordinated it with my people to make a real attack. But you botched it, and now we’ll be lucky to survive the night. We’ll handle this our way.” She shoved past Jeatar and headed up the stairs, a dozen people following her, then a second dozen. A handful stayed behind.
“Should we stop them?” Aylin asked.
“Let them go,” Jeatar said as Onderaan started to speak. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” He sighed and sat down.
“I’m sorry,” I said, cold and sick. “I just wanted to help.”
“I know,” said Onderaan when Jeatar didn’t answer. “It would have happened anyway. Siekte was getting impatient, challenging me almost every day now. She had the others ready for a fight. You just gave it to them first.”
“I’m tired of fighting,” Jeatar said. The anger and fire in his eyes were gone. He looked sad, tired, as he said. Defeated.
Onderaan’s eyes widened and he went to him. “Don’t give up. It’s almost over.”
“But not how we’d hoped. Baseer in flames, Geveg on the verge of rebellion, Verlatta starving under the Duke’s siege.” He waved a hand toward the stairs. “And if she does manage to kill him, then all three cities will suffer even more. Constant invasions, one fight after another to gain control. It’ll be worse than when…” He sighed again and shook his head. “I’m tired of it. I’m done.”
“Jeatar, don’t say that.”
“We’ll leave as soon as we can. Bribe the gate guards, fight our way out, I don’t care. We’ll go to the farm. Anyone who wants to come is welcome,” he called to the rest. Then he turned to me. “Your people as well, Nya. None of us ever has to go to Geveg again.”
Leave without Tali? I couldn’t do that. We had the Undying’s armor now, and the best distraction I could ever hope for. If we could get to the docks, we could also get to the camp outside.
Danello stepped forward before I could speak. “My father’s still in Geveg. I have to go back for him.”
“That won’t be easy. I spoke to one of my contacts there. Geveg’s rioting again. The Governor-General declared martial law, closed the docks. He barely made it out.”
My guts churned. “How bad is it?”
“Not as bad as here. But with the Duke distracted, he probably won’t send troops to deal with it.” He sighed. “You might have saved them. They could win their fight.”
But if everything Jeatar said was true, then how long would it be until the Duke or someone just as bad showed up, looking for power? Geveg didn’t have an army anymore. It had no one to defend it except those willing to fight.
And if the Duke did send troops, Tali might be part of them.
“I can’t leave just yet. I—”
“It’s over, Nya—there’s nothing more we can do.” Jeatar stood but wouldn’t look at me. “I’m going to bed. I posted lookouts upstairs to warn us when the soldiers reach this street. We should be safe down here, but arm yourselves just in case. We’ll try to leave in the morning when things have calmed down some.”
“But—”
Jeatar didn’t turn around, didn’t stop. He just walked through the door to the back rooms, closing it with an all-too-final thud.
“Are we going to go with him?” Danello asked. I couldn’t tell if he wanted to or not.
“I…” I didn’t know. Leaving Tali was unthinkable, but without Jeatar’s help and the villa to hide in, how would I ever find her?
“We’ll go with him,” I said softly. “He’ll be able to get us outside the city, and that’s where the Taker camps are.”
Danello nodded, looking relieved. He probably wouldn’t be when I told him I was going after Tali alone. He had his own family to worry about, and as much as I wanted him with me, family had to come first.
“Nya,” said Onderaan, “can I talk—”
“I need to take a Healer to Neeme and Ellis,” I said, walking away. He’d want to talk about Papa, about Tali and me. I couldn’t do that, not until I brought her home.
No way were we sleeping, no matter how tired we were. After the healer boy cared for Neeme and Ellis, he and the enchanters and apprentices had been given rooms and gone to bed. The rest of us sat in mine, crammed in like fish in a trap. Me, Enzie, Winvik, Jovan, Bahari, Aylin, Danello, and Halima. Tali should have been there.
“I’m not leaving without Tali,” I said.
Aylin nodded. “We knew that.”
“You all should leave though.”
She sat up straighter. “Not a chance.”
“You can’t keep risking your lives. Danello almost lost his family because of me.” I looked at him, but he didn’t argue. “I’ve asked enough of you. This is my fight, my sister. I’ll get her.”
Danello hugged Halima tighter. “Nya, maybe you should listen to Jeatar and leave. We only won this time because we caught the foundry by surprise and we had help. They’re on alert now. The pynvium armor won’t be enough to get you inside.”
“I have to try.”
I didn’t know how though. I’d ask Jeatar, but he was probably still mad at me, even if he was willing to help us get out of Baseer. I’d ruined everything for him. Angered the Duke, split the Underground. How many would die tonight because of me?
Aylin pulled the blanket off the bed and draped it around my shoulders. “At least you found out you have family left. That’s good, right?”
“Is it?”
“Well, sure. You’re not alone anymore.”
I wasn’t before. I had Tali and Aylin and Danello. We’d been a family for months, watching over each other, protecting each other. I could count on them, no matter what. Could I count on Onderaan? I barely knew him.
“As soon as Jeatar and Onderaan are asleep, I’m going to go to try and find Ceun,” I said. Tali was the family in trouble, and she was the one I needed to focus on. “If anyone knows a way into those Taker camps, it’s Quenji.”
“I’m going with you,” Aylin said.
“No, stay with Jeatar. We only have one set of armor, so there’s no way to disguise you.”
“You could pretend I’m a Taker.”
“They’d know you were lying as soon as they touched you. It’s better if—”
A bang shook the door. We all jumped. Jovan answered it.
“Soldiers are on the street,” said the woman at the door. “Jeatar says grab a sword and get read
y.” She left, going to the next room and giving the same speech.
Halima started to cry. Enzie tried to comfort her, but her tears came next. They were too young for this. Saints, we were all too young for this.
“You stay here,” Danello said, pointing at the girls. “Hide under the beds. Jovan, Bahari, Winvik, you hide as well, protect them.”
“We’ll lock the other doors so it looks like someone is hiding in those,” Aylin said, jumping up. “Maybe they won’t think anyone is in here if it’s open.”
“And turn off the lamps,” I said as I rose to help her.
We blew out the hall lamps as well, then went into the main room. Jeatar was there with Onderaan and the ten others who’d stayed behind after Siekte left. The enchanter and his apprentices stood by the weapon racks, testing swords. Most of the lamps here had also been blown out. Only the ones near the stairs were lit.
“Are they here yet?” I asked softly.
“Not yet. They’re going villa by villa, and we’re near the end.”
“How many?”
He paused. “Maybe thirty soldiers.”
Neeme paled and sank to the arm of the couch, her sword falling limp. Ellis patted her shoulder.
I looked for the Taker boy who’d healed them. He sat at the table by the healing bricks, one hand on the stacks as if getting to know them before he’d have to use them. Saints willing, he wouldn’t have to.
I walked over. “Are any of those bricks full?” Onderaan had already removed the raw pynvium ore.
“The one with the pain you had me heal holds some, but it’s far from full. The rest are empty. They’re all good ones though. They’ll hold a lot of healing if we need it.”
“What about the armor?”
He reached for it, then shook his head. “Empty. But it’ll hold a lot.”
I gathered up the armor. “Put this on.”
“What?”
“It’ll help protect you, and you can heal right into it. Stash the rest of the bricks in case we need them.”
“Okay.” He fumbled with the straps as I helped him get the armor on. Too big for him, but it would be enough for this fight.
