“They’re gone,” Letti breathed. The plains seemed to bulge with the blackness; little illumination from the moon offered no additional insight. No lights emanated from the villages either. Letti turned north; there were pricks of light on the horizon, but nothing close enough to warrant explanation.
Thorn hissed between his teeth. “Come on.”
They jogged back to the barrow in silence. Thorn and Letti burst in to find Valary and Metred asleep on the walls.
Thorn strode over to the captain and shook him awake.
“Why would your forces have moved off?” He asked quietly. “Why?”
He rattled Metred slightly when the man did not answer immediately.
“I don’t know.” Metred mumbled, half asleep. “Perhaps they finally got into the city.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Thorn muttered to himself. “Why now?”
A small flapping sound, like the quick stroke of wings startled Thorn to his feet. He and Letti turned to the darkened entrance of the barrow, straining to see.
What appeared to be a bird fluttered into the cave, hovering just in front of Thorn. The large man held out his hand and it alit on his fingers.
“What is it?” Letti whispered.
It was not a bird, that much Letti could tell. It was too thin to be a bird, and it lacked the appropriate plumage.
“It’s a message,” Thorn sounded amazed. “The majik block must have lifted.”
“Because…?” Letti struggled to understand.
“This is from Garthien.” Thorn tugged at the little figure’s wing. It unfolded, and Letti could see it was a paper, tucked and tightened into the shape of a sparrow.
Thorn marched past Letti to stand at the entrance of the barrow. With what little light it offered Thorn held the letter up to catch an edge of a moonbeam.
Emarza in Ent Arden. Don’t come back. We are watched.
Thorn handed Letti the note, who read it quickly. “He’s alright.”
“Yes,” Thorn too seemed relieved. “He is not unfamiliar to Durevin. I cannot imagine they would have been too hard on him.”
“And yet, it is still good news.” Letti smiled. “Short message though.”
“Speaking of.” Thorn reached for the letter. He muttered something and the letter burned to ash. Thorn let it drop the damp ground.
“Why?” Letti asked.
“He is released.” Thorn said simply. “He will have been focusing on that bit of majik for as long as it took to reach us. Now he knows we’ve read it.”
“And if it hadn’t found us?” Letti asked, following Thorn back into the barrow.
“It would have.” Thorn explained. “He cannot die. He cannot subsume himself with majik. We have both tried.”
“So, in your punishments, you are both unendingly powerful.” Letti concluded. “Not sure that was the intention.”
Thorn shrugged. “We cannot die. That is punishment enough.”
Letti did not bother to reply.
Valary stirred at the commotion.
“Valary,” Thorn knelt by his pack and began pulling out food.
Letti had not realized how hungry she was until she saw the dried meat. Thorn tossed her some before offering both Metred and Valary a snack.
“Valary, Letti says you are from Jooria.”
“That’s right.” Valary glanced at Letti. “What of it?”
Thorn bared his teeth in an approximation of a grin. “Could you get us in?”
~.~
“Absolutely not.” Letti shook her head. Her feet were cold, but at least they were dry. She had removed her boots and socks when it had become clear the remainder of the night would be spent making plans.
“This is a terrible plan, worse than the plan to capture soldiers.”
“That actually succeeded.” Thorn reminded Letti.
“To your absolute exhaustion.” She retorted.
“I have majik back, there is no issue now.” Thorn ran his hand over his hair, exasperated.
“No issue,” Letti mocked Thorn’s low voice before returning to her own. “You expect us to ride north, turn the horses loose, sneak into Jooria, swimming, by the way, find some tunnels, and then sneak into Ent Arden.” Letti ticked the steps of the skeleton plan on her fingers. “And then, you want us to fight Emarza, after we find him of course, whilst avoiding an army of Durevinian soldiers, find our horses, who you will have told to meet us somewhere, because apparently you speak horse now, and ride north.” Letti was breathing hard. “Am I leaving anything out?”
Valary and Metred sat against the wall, watching Letti and Thorn argue. Thorn had allowed Valary to start a small fire in the back of the barrow, so each had plenty of light to see the anger on both faces.
“We have to see if he is there, Letti.” Thorn spoke through gritted teeth. “This is the creature who killed your parents.”
“Don’t you dare throw that in my face.” Letti stamped her foot. “He is just as likely to kill me, Metred, and Valary if we cross paths with him. It is a miracle we avoided him the last time. Does this not feel like a trap to you?” She implored.
“You’ve met him before?” Valary asked from his audience position. When both Letti and Thorn rounded on him, he shrank back, but his expression remained steady.
“Aye.” Thorn seemed to deflate slightly. “We were in the south, on the north side of the Udarov. Letti saved us.”
Letti snorted. “Hardly. That was luck, and I am destined to run out of luck soon.” She brandished her stump at him.
Thorn turned away, throwing his hands in the air.
“Why don’t we ride north?” Letti asked. “Go straight to Durevin. Trade the good captain of E’Ixtura here for some information—”
“Hey—” Metred exclaimed.
“And figure out our way forward from there.” Letti ignored the captive.
Thorn turned back to Letti with a curious gleam in his eye. “And you say I am cruel.” He murmured. “You would trade this man and his freedom for commodity?”
Letti nodded stubbornly.
“Is that no different than slavery? Means to an end?”
Letti, momentarily chastised, rallied. “If it saves us all from near certain death, then perhaps it is worth it.”
“I did not think I’d see you learn to value certain lives less than others.” Thorn’s voice had taken on a disappointed tone. “I still say it is foolish to walk into Durevin with little additional information, that we can garner with relative ease.”
“Relative ease.” It was Letti’s turn to throw up her hands. “Garthien told us Emarza is in Ent Arden. I think youjust want to face him.”
Thorn and Letti lapsed into an angry silence. After a few moments, Valary raised his hand. All three remaining occupants looked at him, startled.
“Put your hand down boy,” Thorn said roughly, “Just say what you want to.”
“I think it is a good idea to try for Ent Arden.” He spoke softly. “I for one, would like to return to my people, and I want to see what the soldiers are doing. That I may fight.”
Letti glanced at Thorn, who was nodding.
“And I suppose you want to go so you might slip us and return to your beloved forces.” Letti felt her leverage slipping away.
Metred shrugged but did not disagree. “Would you do any different?” He asked.
Letti blew air through her lips, sounding like Ean. Finally, she raised her arms, one hand, one stump. “Fine. Fine. Let’s all go to Jooria on a half-baked scheme and see how it goes. Better make sure the horses’ scars are healed. I have no doubt we’ll be running from something or another at full tilt in a day’s time.”
Letti stalked out of the barrow.
“Let her go, son.” She heard Thorn mutter to Valary.
Letti stumbled in the darkness and fell, catching herself on her forearms. She wanted to scream. Since the day she and Candor had stumbled back into the village, she’d not felt peace. Since Candor had left, her life had been once instance of chaos after another. Letti was frustrated. She felt hollow, as if something deep inside her had simply vanished. She was tired of walking into friction or escaping from avoidable conflict.
Letti paced behind the barrow, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Finally, she flopped down on the slope of their cave and stared up at the sky. She felt the coldness of the earth seep into her, but her cloak kept the water from her skin. She shivered.
Why am I here? Letti thought miserably. I have lost so much of myself. She thought of Valary’s comment, that she had found herself on her journey. I do not think that is true, Letti angrily wiped tears from her face.
Slowly, stars winked into view above her, the clouds from the early night moving steadily westward, as was their way.
“To be as consistent as you,” Letti whispered to the clouds. Then she chuckled to herself. That I am wishing to be as stable as the weather should worry me.
She stood, returning slowly to the barrow.
Metred was watching Thorn and Valary with interest. The large man and the redhead had gathered at the back of the barrow, just in front of the fire. Valary was pointing at a a spot in a crude drawing sketched into the dirt floor when Letti swept over to them. She did not speak, and they did not stop speaking their plan. She and Thorn met eyes, and he nodded infinitesimally.
“Here is where we would come up.” Valary pointed to a circle on the floor. “This is the largest communal well in the city. The aqueducts flow from it.”
“And it is empty but for the movement of the quays.” Thorn said.
Valary nodded. “We would have to time it, likely swimming in at night. They fill in the early morning and empty most of the day.”
“We cannot travel during the day.” Thorn shook his head. “Not if the villages are filled with soldiers.”
“Just stay underground.” Metred surprised the whole group with a suggestion. He blinked at their attention. “If you are so keen on arriving at Ent Arden, don’t travel above ground. Stay in the tunnels.”
“The tunnels exist then?” Letti asked Valary.
He nodded. “There are sewers that connect all the cities on Emak, lest the waste go into the canal.”
Thorn looked at the boy. “Can you keep us underground from the well to the tunnels?”
Valary looked doubtful, but he nodded. “I think so. I’ve never done it, but I imagine there are places where they connect.”
“Then we will figure that out when we arrive.” Thorn did not seem perturbed by this contingency.
“How far north are we going?” Letti asked. “We can only ride so far without being seen.”
“We will travel here, parallel with Caman.” Valary pointed to another dot on Thorn’s map. Letti had not realized the large man had given it to the boy. “It has been empty of soldiers for a while. There’s nothing left there.” His voice grew bitter, and he threw a dark look at Metred.
“That is far. At least two span.” Letti said doubtfully. “Can we do all this in a night?”
“We will have to.” Thorn growled. “There is no place to hide between the barrows and Emak. We must reach the villages before the sun begins to lighten the south.”
Letti pursed her lips but said nothing.
“So, we will arrive here, leave the horses, and enter here.” Valary pointed to a square he had drawn in the floor. “Emak is walled on both sides, but every village kid knows the ways in. It’s a rite of passage to swim across the canal at night.”
“How wide is it?” Letti asked.
“Don’t know exactly.” Valary shrugged. “Causes a few drownings every year though.”
“I would imagine.” Letti muttered.
“I will ask the horses to meet us here.” Thorn pointed just north of Caman. “I will not tie them; in case we must call them elsewhere.”
“You’re a witch then?” Metred spoke, startling Letti and Valary. They had forgotten he was there.
“You couldn’t tell that from the way I healed Valary?” Thorn asked sarcastically.
Metred’s eyes gleamed. “E’Ixtura would pay you prettily for service.”
“I’m sure they would, right before they tried to take my head off.” Thorn snapped. “I have seen the relationship between witch and man. It does not end well.”
“What has been need not repeat itself in the same patterns.” Metred gazed at Thorn. “You would be most welcome in the High Court.”
Thorn just shook his head. “I suppose we will find out.”
“And once we’re in Ent Arden?” Letti asked.
Thorn hesitated but walked to his bag. He rummaged around in the bottom of it for a moment, before extracting a small box. He cracked it open.
In its center sat what appeared to be a large drop of water. It was bound by nothing but the air. Within it, a drop of red moved around, like blood released into a vial. On its top, a tiny piece of metal spun, maintaining a trajectory no matter the way Thorn moved the box.
“The night Garthien and I thought we destroyed Emarza, I took his blood.” Thorn said softly. “I did not want to think so, but I wondered if he might return. With some help from the Fae, I bound it in this box, that it might tell me where he is if I am close.”
“It is a compass.” Letti made a face.
“A blood compass.” Thorn nodded. “They are rare, and usually made with hate. I do not carry it lightly.”
“Did you use it when you were near my village?” Letti asked quietly.
Thorn nodded. “I tried, but by the time I had arrived, he was gone. It only works if we are near.”
“How near?” Valary asked.
“Within the same city.” Thorn shrugged. “Give or take.”
“Useful.” Letti considered the little box distrustfully.
“It will guide us once we are in Ent Arden.” Thorn said with certainty. “We just have to get there.”
“We’ll get there.” Valary said with more confidence than Letti found warranted. “I’ll get you there.”
~.~
Letti looked out through the rain, considering the plains. The night was almost upon them, and the horses were ready to ride. Letti had spent the day trying to sleep, finally rousing herself when dreams were inexorably elusive. She sparred lightly with Valary, taking a few comments from Metred into her positioning. She had grown, in the small time that they had been in their company, rather fond of both Valary and Metred, though Metred was often irritatingly repetitive.
“An hour and we ride.” Thorn joined her at the front of the barrow. He smelled of smoke. They all did.
The night’s fire had finally worn down to embers, leaving the cave warm, if full of fumes. Letti did not mind; she had grown accustomed to being filthy.
“I have a horrible feeling about this, Thorn.” Letti whispered.
Letti was surprised when Thorn put an arm around her and drew her into his side for a half hug. She leaned against him, feeling her irritation of the last few days wane slightly.
“Letti, I want to end him.” Thorn said. She looked up at the big man, struck by the quiver in his voice. “I do not want to be looking over my shoulder for him when we go forward. Ever since he caught us in the Uradov, I have been worried sick he will come for you again.”
“He does not want me, he wants Candor.” Letti was gratified at Thorn’s protectiveness.
“He will kill you regardless.” Thorn said grimly. “Or he will take you for prisoner until he figures out how he can use you. He is not cruel like I am. He is evil. You must understand the difference.”
“I do.” Letti whispered.
“I do not think you do, not yet.” Letti was unsure if that comment was meant for her; Thorn’s voice was so low. “I hope you never will.”
The hour passed agonizingly slowly. Letti watched the sky darken, feeling as though she were losing her mind.
“This is not the first time you’ve waited for battle.” Valary trotted up to Letti, who had not moved from the entryway. She leaned against the square stones, relishing their coldness against her cloak.
“And I hope it will not be the last.” Letti attempted a short smile. “It does not feel any easier.”
“I find it rather exciting.” Valary fluffed his red hair. “I will get you in, I promise.”
“I have no doubt in your ability to navigate the canal, Valary.” Letti shook her head. “There are so very many things that could go wrong. Thorn sometimes fails to remember that his entourage is human. We can lose lives, hands.” She smiled darkly. “He is cursed with perpetuity.”
Valary shrugged. “Might not be such a bad thing.”
Letti looked over at the boy, struck, for the first time, at how much younger he seemed than she. “How old are you?” She finally asked.
“I’ll pass my nineteenth birthday in a few days, actually.” Valary swelled with pride. “In the villages, nineteen is a big year. You have already come of age, of course, that is the fifteenth birthday, but nineteen is the first year where you are really and truly treated like a man.”
“What does that mean?” Letti asked. She wondered if he would return to his simple life, find a wife, have children, serve the merchants. It made her sad, somehow, to think of Valary passing a life this way.
“You are expected to marry, father children, bear a job, find a home.” Valary shrugged. He seemed small in that moment. “It was a life I never used to want.”
“And now?” Letti turned her whole body to face him.
“Now I don’t know.” He shrugged, looking out over the rapidly darkening plains. “Perhaps there is something nice about a peaceful, boring life.”
“Perhaps.” Letti whispered.
“I haven’t decided.”
“Maybe tonight will convince you.” Letti remarked, sarcastic.
“Maybe—”
“Time to go.” Thorn walked the horses from the back of the cave. “You two will ride together. Metred will ride with me. Enri will bear our packs.”
Valary and Letti exchanged a look. Letti rolled her eyes. “Hang on tight.”
All four mounted. Letti noticed with interest that Thorn had tied Metred’s hands around his waist. Valary clasped his own around Letti’s middle, and they spurred the horses forward. The three horses raced through the night, pushed, but not to complete exertion. Letti felt her eyes water as the cold air stung her face. She felt Valary put his head down, nestling into her back. She was glad Ean was steady; she felt unbalanced without her right hand, though she would never have allowed Valary to ride for her.
After nearly an hour of riding, Thorn slowed to a walk. “Here is where we depart.”
He stopped the horses, untied Metred, and dismounted. The captain seemed remarkably docile.
Letti dismounted and pulled her sword from Enri. Valary helped her buckle it. Letti tucked her cloak into her pack, shivering. She did not want to run across the plains with it. The cutlass would be cumbersome enough.
Thorn nodded to the horses, who began walking northward. He looked round at Letti. “If you need them, call them. Whistle this tune.” He hummed the scrap of a haunting lullabye. “They will hear you.”
“How far can they hear me?” Letti asked.
“It does not matter.” Thorn strapped his sword to his back. “That is majik, they are bound to it.”
Letti didn’t bother to ask him to explain.
“Come on.” Thorn began to jog eastward, Letti falling in on his right. Valary fell in on her right, just a step behind and Metred ran to Thorn’s left. He did not have a sword. Letti wondered why he was behaving so well; it troubled her.
In a small wedge, the group made their way towards the canal, lights flickering northward, blackness to their south. Letti felt herself begin to sweat and strove to keep her breath even. It was a different fitness than sparring, running; she felt her lungs begin to burn.
Finally, dark shapes loomed out of the night. Emak was within reach.
“Here.” Valary whispered. He and Thorn switched places in the running order. Just as they arrived at the outer wall of Caman, the moon breached the clouds, showering the plains with silver light.
“Be glad we’re here.” Thorn muttered. “I’ve not seen that much illumination since we left Garthien’s.”
Letti rolled her eyes. The walls of Caman were rough, gritty with stilled sand. They reminded her of Ome Chaer, and the thought did not please her.
“Come on.” Valary beckoned. He slunk around the outer walls, moving towards an even taller butress that grew out of the back of Caman.
Once they reached it, Valary began trailing his hands upon the sandstone, searching for something unseen.
“What are we looking for?” Letti asked.
“A small opening.” Valary jogged up and down the wall, touching the smooth bricking. “Keep a lookout.”
Letti did as she was told, facing outward towards the plains. She harbored an irksome feeling that they were being watched. The back of her neck prickled.
“Here,” Letti could hear the relief in Valary’s voice. A small groan echoed as a piece of the wall descended into the ground. “In you go.”
Thorn went first, crawling and shimmying through the space. It was barely big enough for him. Letti prodded Metred to follow, and she stuck her head in next. Valary was last, and Letti could hear the little door grind to a close. It was utterly dark. There was no light, not even the possibility for light. All Letti could hear was the heavy breathing of the men ahead of her and Valary behind her. She began to lose all sense of direction. It took all of her power to move forward.
Without warning, Letti slammed into Metred’s feet.
“Marda,” she swore, employing Thorn’s choice curse. “What’s happening?”
“Thorn is trying to find the switch on the far side.” Metred breathed. “He is having little luck.”
“Use a light, nitwit,” Letti hissed. “No one is down here.”
“Majik leaves traces, Lettishae.” Thorn’s voice echoed back. “And if Emarza is here, he will feel us.”
Letti rolled her eyes and tried not to lose her mind. She could feel the blackness around her, pressing in on her, as if it were a living, breathing thing. She opened her mouth but found she could not breathe, she was in a nightmare, she would soon wake up, she—”
A grinding interrupted Letti’s panicking, and dark light let air swoop into the wall. Letti heard Thorn continue his squirming, followed by Metred. She too continued her crawling until she was at the end of the tunnel. Hearing two splashes, Letti grabbed the outside of the wall and hauled herself out of the hole. She felt herself falling before she crashed into the canal. Finding her way to the surface, Letti opened her eyes and sputtered. The outside world seemed as bright as day compared to the hellish passageway, and Letti saw Thorn and Metred swimming south. Letti watched Valary exit the hole, hang carefully on the side, reaching for something on the outside of the wall. He apparently found it, for the hole closed, and Valary dropped towards the water.
Letti turned and swum after the two men, her right arm feeling useless as she paddled with her left. She felt a being move past her and bit her tongue so as not to yelp. It was Valary. He stroked past her, catching up to Metred and then Thorn.
Of course, he can swim, Letti thought irritably. She did not want to be left behind, but she was relearning to stroke. She managed to keep an eye on Metred but fell behind the other two in her efforts.
Letti noted the water was salty. Her stomach ached for home. She had not been near the ocean since she had watched Candor leave the beach many moons ago.
Not now, Lettishae, Letti heard Candor’s voice say in her head. Focus.
Letti tried. She kicked her feet harder. Finally, as Letti’s calves were threatening to cramp, she saw Metred slow. He tread water for a moment before moving forward once more.
Letti noticed a darkened doorway along the side of the canal, just up from the waterline. She watched Thorn’s arm reach down and Metred reach up. Thorn yanked the man into the opening. Letti floated over to the door. Once more, Thorn reached down and grasped Letti’s left arm. She grasped him hard, and he pulled her up. They collapsed into the slimy hall, shivering.
“Here we are.” Valary said cheerfully. “Home sweet home.”
While the space was tall enough to walk in, the sides were narrow. Thorn would have to shimmy sideways to move forward. The sides were slick with grime, and it smelled as she would have expected the dark places of the ocean to smell, salty and full of earth. It was not an unpleasant smell, but neither was it inviting.
“Right.” Valary gestured. “This way.”
He led the companions forward, twisting around a few turns, though Letti never noticed any additional doorways.
“Valary, you’re sure—” Letti’s question was lost as a deafening click echoed through the narrow tunnel. “What was that?”
Valary turned slowly, face paling. “That was the opening of the nearest quay.” He said softly.
“Which means what? Valary?” Letti hissed.
She looked at Thorn, whose face was half hidden in shadow. “It means we have no time to explore for tunnels.”
Valary turned and began to run as fast as the tunnel would let him. “Come on,” he shouted, “We need to get to the well!”
As Letti turned back to the darkened hall where they had just walked, she felt something tug on her boots. She looked down; water flowed over her feet, advancing down the hall with alacrity.
Without another glance backward, Letti ran.
~.~
Letti coughed violently and sat up. She looked around. Valary’s face appeared, anxious, not a hands width from her own.
“By Anaia,” he said softly. “You’re alive.
“What happened?” Letti coughed again.
“We got caught in the morning water.” Valary explained grimly. “I’ve only heard stories of that. It was horrible.”
Letti remembered the rising water, running down the dark corridor. They had arrived at a ladder, but the top had been closed.
“You almost drowned.” Valary whispered.
“You did drown.” Thorn’s voice sounded from behind Letti. She turned to look at him. “He saved you.” Thorn looked up from the little box in his hand. He offered a rare smile.
“Thank you.” Letti muttered. Her throat was raw. “How?”
“I—” Valary flushed.
“No time.” Metred, who Letti had forgotten was with them, appeared from behind Thorn. “I haven’t seen any soldiers, nor any sign of life.”
“Good thing too, or we’d be captured.” Thorn muttered.
“This is unnatural.” Metred’s usually calm demeanor had vanished, leaving him ruffled. Letti found that it did not suit him.
She looked around. The well that they had just escaped from was wide, surprisingly so, nearly ten lengths in diameter. From it, deep aqueducts traced outwards, like so many rays of a sun. Letti craned to see around Valary, and saw that as the streets turned, so too did the channels, taking water around the city, into buildings, into homes. It would have been fascinating if the city had shown any signs of life.
“We can’t stay here,” Thorn murmured, “We’re exposed.”
“Too right you are.” A slippery, slithery voice echoed around them.
Letti felt as though ants had marched into her spine. The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. It was a voice that was a mockery of human joy, it was a voice that sounded of one thing: death.
~.~
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