Storm of the Seven Sins, page 24
My mother gives a low, warning growl. “Then we need to get her out of here before they have the chance.”
“Agreed,” Gentian says. “But how?”
The first vestiges of a plan flicker to life in my mind. “We need proof the Executor plans to betray the Mages,” I say. “Something actionable, to break their alliance. Have you overheard anything like that? Anything at all?”
“I—”
“You! Mage!” Traalf bellows from outside the door. “What are you doing in there? Not fraternizing with our sins-forsaken prisoners, are you?”
“Of course not, Bellator Traalf. Almost finished,” Gentian calls back, raising his voice in that eerie impersonation again. It’s alarming how good he is at this, even somehow shedding his stutter when the mission depends on it.
Lowering his voice again, he whispers, the words tumbling over each other in an effort to get them out as quickly as possible, “I did h-hear something I couldn’t q-quite make sense of. I was on my way from the vet tech b-building to the Great Hall when I overheard the Executor talking with interim Lead Bellator Rondeau. They said, when the battle was over, that they would d-divide their forces between the Houses. That Rondeau would have to train replacements, and f-fast. And I t-thought…why would they need to do that, if the agreement was for the Mages to rule the Houses?”
“Why indeed,” my mother says grimly. “Unless Armand never planned to hold up his side of the agreement. He wants to dominate the Empire—Commonwealths, Houses, and all. Whatever this weapon is, he’ll use it to kill every skúma that gets in his way, weaken the Mages, and then keep me and Eva as trophies.”
It has the definitive ring of truth, and I open my mouth to say so. But then a wave of dizziness rocks me, and I have to grip the bars to stay upright.
“Eva?” My mother’s voice is sharp with concern. “Are you all right?”
Another bout of dizziness sweeps me. My skin tingles, electricity thrumming through me from head to toe. Blood pounds in my ears as my vision blurs. And then the world settles, leaving me with an undeniable sense of wholeness. Behind my eyes, I can see that familiar blue cord—but instead of trailing off into the darkness, it’s taut, current flowing toward me from the other end.
“By the Sins,” I say, my voice laced with wonder…and more than a hint of terror. Whatever I plan to do, we are running out of time. “I can feel him.”
Gentian’s jaw drops. The tray falls from his hands, clattering onto the floor. “You can feel Ari? But that must mean—”
“Mage!” Traalf roars. “Is everything all right in there?”
“Yes! Sorry. I just dropped my tray.” Gentian stares at me, wide-eyed, as he scoops up the syringes and other paraphernalia. “It’s happening, then,” he whispers, low-voiced. “We n-need to act fast.”
The shreds of my idea come together, shimmering into a plan that just might work, if everything goes right. At least, well enough to free me from this cage. “Have you been able to recruit any of the comp techs into the resistance?”
Gentian shakes his head. “Kilían put out feelers, but no luck. We do have a natural-born embedded in the comp lab, though. She’s smart and resourceful. And angry. She’ll help us.”
“Tell her to disable the bio-ID on that keypad.” I gesture at the device that unlocks our cells. “If she’s as resourceful as you say, she’ll figure out how.” Ari was a natural-born, and look what he’s capable of. There’s a whole host of people that the Executor has been underestimating at his peril. If Gentian is actually able to mobilize them, then—
“Get word to Dresda,” I tell him, swallowing down the shards of something that feels a lot like hope. “Fight to convince her of what you heard. And whatever other plans you have in place…activate them now.”
“Mage!”
“Coming!” Gentian gives me a firm, determined nod. Then he hunches his shoulders, drops his head, and hurries out the door.
Chapter 37
Ari
The wind wails through the mountains as the sun rises, bringing with it a teeth-rattling chill. Or maybe the chill’s emanating from within, as I anticipate what today holds.
Our attempts to capture another one of the Mages’ messengers were fruitless. Sebastían did make an effort, I’ll give him that, and Kilían and I backed him up. But the woods around our camp were empty—suspiciously so. It made me wonder what had actually killed that ferret: the strain of possession by the Mages, or some sort of sequence triggered by its interrogation. Maybe the raven would have died anyway, even if I hadn’t stabbed it through the wing.
I wanted to explore this further, to quiz Sebastían about the other creatures he’d gotten his hands on, but when we emerged from the woods, we walked straight into chaos.
Eldrina’s falcons had arrived, leading three hundred guards from Montyorke, San Fraesco, and Satrizona, as well as another adult panther pair. So, instead of getting some much-needed sleep, I spent the next few hours strategizing about our strengths and weaknesses, the Commonwealth’s security, and our plan of attack.
The falcons flew ahead, taking in an aerial view of the Commonwealth, but they couldn’t penetrate it. There’s some kind of aerial shield in place, maybe the same forcefield that the Mages used in the stone circle. Which means that our only way in is either through the tunnels Eva and I used to escape, or the forest where the Bastarour prowl.
“The Mages may have herded us here, but I can’t imagine they want a full-on battle, one they stand a chance at losing,” Adelman said last night. “They’ll want to thin our numbers, with an eye on taking the familiars and skúma alive and doing away with the rest of us. Every step from this point on will be rigged.”
Like it hasn’t been already, I wanted to say, but didn’t. Instead, I listened to Kilían’s overview of the size, strength, and color-coded gear of each Commonwealth’s Bellatorum, all the while trying and failing to reach out for Eva. I wish I’d seen more through the damn ferret’s eyes, enough to tell where they’re keeping her.
Wait for me, I’d begged her. What if she didn’t listen? What if, the closer I get, the more determined she becomes to go through with whatever foolhardy, self-sacrificing plan she’s concocted? What if I arrive in the Commonwealth to find her cold and gone?
Try as I might, I can’t push the image away. The darkness clings to me as we ride through the pass where we made our stand against the Thirty, on our final approach. I half expect to find corpses, black rags shredding from their bones and birds pecking at their empty eye sockets, but thank the Architect, my imagination has run away with me: though the trees on either side of the path are still shriveled from the fire, the Bellatorum has removed their dead.
I’m lost in a grim tally of the bellators who lost their lives here—Frederik. Mikhael. Erik. Tiberius. Jordan. Noah. Ananias. Simeon. Nathanael. Elias—when Jaxon rides up beside me. I’ve been trying to get him alone, but no luck. I’m pretty sure he’s been avoiding me.
I need to know what he’s been keeping to himself about Sebastían. But first, I have to voice what matters most. I’m sick and tired of worrying whether the people I care about are going to stay alive.
“You,” I say with finality, fighting to dismiss the vivid image of one of the bellators’ corpses wearing Jaxon’s face, then Eva’s, “are a dumbass.”
A surprised expression creeps across his face before his lips rise in a crooked smirk. “Where did you learn that word?”
“Don’t deflect. You’re lucky you’re not dead.”
“Am I?” The two syllables are bleak.
“I thought we dealt with this the night I smashed your bottle of ákavíti, you sins-forsaken fool. Tobias would want you to live. And if it’s revenge you’re after, you’re about to get it. Yet you damn near provoked Sebastían into ripping out your throat. What’s going on with you?”
Jaxon doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he glances at Kilían and my father, cantering down the trail ahead of us. We’re too far away for us to hear what they’re saying, but I can see the flame of Kilían’s head tilted toward my father’s dark one. The Lead Interrogator is turned slightly in our direction, revealing his grudging smile.
“They look happy,” Jaxon says, guiding his mount over a log that’s fallen across the trail. “Don’t you think?”
“They’ve earned happiness,” I say with a shrug, doing the same. “In whatever form. So have you. And I won’t let you throw it all away because you won’t stop punishing yourself.”
The smirk is back, but this time it’s bitter. “Won’t let me, huh? Think you have that much power?”
“I don’t care what names you call me. You’re my friend. Maybe the only real one I have, unless you count Gentian, who’s…well, you’ll meet him soon enough.” Gentian, who had feelings for me I never understood. Who risked his life to save mine, and has become a hero.
I owe him a debt of gratitude, one I can never repay. But I’ll damn sure try.
“Friends look out for each other, as I’ve come to understand the concept,” I say dryly. “And tell each other the truth.”
Jaxon jolts in the saddle, as if I’ve punched him. “I didn’t know.” The words come slowly, his eyes fixed on the trail ahead. “It’s true Tobias had a habit of…taking things that didn’t belong to him. Grew up never knowing where his next meal was coming from, but that’s no excuse. We fought about it all the time. But whatever Pardúr was talking about, some big heist or whatever—Tobias didn’t tell me. Didn’t trust me to keep him safe.”
I guide my horse around a rock in the trail. “He was protecting you, like Sebastían said. If it had come out that you knew, you would’ve probably lost your position.”
We’re riding side by side again, and Jaxon turns his furious, red-rimmed gaze on me. “Oh, yeah? He had no problem telling me what else happened that night. Kept his mouth shut about the fact that Sebastían had leverage over him, and not just the other way around. I always wondered why Pardúr allowed him to walk free after Tobias saw what he did. Now I know.”
I brace myself, then ask. “What did he see, Jaxon?”
He shakes his head, lips pressed tight together.
“You were going to tell me, that night in the infirmary,” I coax. “Who’s the her you were talking about, right before the fight? Is he with someone that could compromise our alliance?”
Jaxon stares straight ahead again, eyes fixed on the trail. “Want me to stay on this side of the dirt, exile? More than my life’s worth to tell you that.”
I try again, letting my urgency bleed into my voice. “Is he with someone that could compromise Eva? Or better yet—if I exposed whatever he’s up to, could I get her free of him once and for all?”
His jaw twitches. “Pretty thought. But his sort gets what they want. Worry about staying alive and getting Eva back, Westergaard. What happens after that is out of your hands.”
“I am worried about that. Obviously. But—” I draw a deep breath. “There’s something amiss here. You’ve made that clear enough. And I want to know what it is.”
Jaxon barks a harsh laugh. “And I thought I was the one with a death wish.”
“You could tell Ronan,” I press. “If Sebastían’s hiding something that could compromise our military integrity, he’ll want to know. Just say you had no idea about whatever it was that Tobias tried to steal. He’ll believe you.”
His eyes shift to mine, bright with an emotion I can’t read. “Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn’t. Not all that tempted to test it out. Why besmirch Tobias’s memory for something that’ll likely go nowhere?” He clenches the reins so hard, his knuckles whiten. “I swore I’d keep his secret. Swore I’d protect him. Already failed at the one. Not about to let him down twice.”
By the Sins. “You didn’t let him down. The bombing wasn’t your fault.”
He shakes his head again, this time more vehemently than before. Tears shine in his eyes, and he rubs an angry hand across his face, wiping them away. “Pointless,” he mutters, and I’m not sure what he’s talking about—this conversation, our invasion, or his existence.
The latter sends a bolt of fear straight through my body. “Forget Pardúr. Let’s talk about you. Explain why the hell you goaded Sebastían that way, if you had no intention of telling me or anyone else the truth.”
Jaxon frees one hand to stroke his horse’s neck. His fingers tremble. “You know why.”
If we were on solid ground, I’d shake him. “By the Architect, you can’t—” I bite the word off, then try again. “I understand having blood on your hands, believe me. I know what it’s like to lose the person you love. But I saved your life, Jaxon, three times over. The way I figure it, at least part of it belongs to me now.”
He snorts. “Oh, you do, do you? That’s pretty arrogant.”
“I take care of what’s mine,” I say, ignoring the insult. “Which means you’re not allowed to sacrifice yourself by jumping off a beam, provoking Sebastían into ending you, or anything else. Got it?”
Jaxon shifts his weight, looking anywhere but at me. “Traveling this route brings shit back,” he mutters at last. “Can’t sleep, and when I do, I dream of Tobias. Calling me. Then, the bomb. I find him, afterward. In pieces. Can still hear his voice, though. Begging me to save him. Wanting to know why I left him alone.”
I suck in air through my teeth. “It’s not real, Jaxon. He’s at rest.”
“You don’t know that!” His voice rises, startling Kilían, who turns in the saddle to look at us. I give an infinitesimal shake of my head, and the Lead Interrogator raises one red eyebrow but faces front again.
“He could be wandering,” Jaxon says, his voice thick with suppressed tears. “What if the gods turned him back at the gates? What if he needs me, and I’m selfish to stay here? What if Sebastían’s right, and there’s nothing left for me?”
I square my shoulders and speak the only truth I have. “To the nine hells with your many-headed gods. If they exist, they would never turn Tobias away. Even Sebastían said he played like an angel, that he was the light to your darkness. Well, this is your darkness speaking, Jaxon, and the darkness lies.”
He draws a shuddering breath. I can tell from the set of his body, the tenseness of his muscles, that he’s listening. But still, he doesn’t look at me. Nor does he speak.
I couldn’t stop Eva from being taken. I couldn’t save my mother. But Jaxon is still here, and I’ll be damned if I’ll lose him, too. “Tobias is at peace. The one who isn’t at peace is you. You’re the one wandering in the darkness, but I won’t leave you there alone. I swear it.”
Jaxon swallows hard, his jaw clenched tight. “What the hell can you do?”
“You’ve felt like this before. You’ve found your way out.” I reach across the space between our horses and grasp his good shoulder, letting my touch sink in. “The darkness is a liar. This, right here, is what’s real.”
Jaxon doesn’t say a word. But he doesn’t argue with me, either. Heartened, I press on.
“Trust me, until you can trust yourself again, yeah? Because I need you, damn you for making me say it. I can count the people I trust on one hand, and you’re one of them. The least you can do is return the favor.”
There’s a long silence, during which I look ahead of us, at the line of skúma and guards on horseback, winding their way through the trail carved through the valley. Then up, at the ravens who still fly above us, pointing the way. And back down, at the man who rides beside me.
A breeze riffles through Jaxon’s dark hair, bringing with it the spicy scent of wintersweet. The familiar white-and-red flowers grow along the trail, an uncomfortable reminder of just how close we’ve come to the place I fought so hard to escape. Our proximity to the Commonwealth thrums in my bones, a cellular recognition of danger. We are so close, now. Eva is nearly within reach. But a war is on the horizon, and I don’t want to face it without him by my side.
I wait. And wait. Wondering if I’ve miscalculated. If I’ve lost him. Until finally, Jaxon speaks. His voice is low, barely audible over the rush of wind that eddies between the mountains, but I hear it, just the same.
“Damn you, exile. That’s four times now,” he says.
The sun is high when we reach the spot in the woods where the grate to the tunnels lies hidden. It’s slow going with such a large army, and I itch to break loose from the herd, to go after Eva myself. But such a thing would be suicide, so I content myself with riding at the front of the column, doing my best to dismiss the feeling of being watched that crawls over my skin. I look up, then around, but there’s no one there. Still, that means nothing where the Mages are concerned. What if they’re stalking us right now? What if they choose this moment to attack?
“All right,” Ronan says, tugging the grate free and gesturing to me, Adrien, Fade, and Jaxon. “You four, scope out the tunnels and report back.”
Adrien kneels obediently, slipping through the hole. As soon as he hits the ground, the three of us follow suit.
My feet thud onto the gravel, and I blink, adjusting to the dim light that filters from above. I flick my flashlight on, and the other guards do the same. Down the widening tunnel, I can make out the pockmarked walls, beaded with condensation, just as I remember them. The familiar moldering smell fills my lungs.
After everything I went through to escape, here I am again.
The feeling of being watched intensifies. And then it shifts, and deep inside me, the bond comes to life. I can’t hear Eva, not yet. But I can feel her, that undeniable sense of magnetism drawing me onward. She’s alive at the other end of that tether. I haven’t lost her, not yet.
“What?” Jaxon says, low-voiced, dark eyes fixed on my face. “You hear someone coming?”
