by Meagan Hurst
Qualaris shrugged. “At my age people expect me to be deaf, stupid, slow, and dirty, I use it to my advantage.”
“Rangers believe that?” Sabaias asked in surprise.
“Well, no, but it is still fun to act the part. If I can get half of them to doubt their knowledge, then I can convince every outsider with ease. It’s another part of basic training.”
“How to be old…?” Now the Nialtian heir looked her way.
“How to act the part of something you’re not,” Z explained. “Like my lack of court manners.”
“You have excellent court manners, when you chose to display them.”
“Case in point, how often is that?”
“It never fails to amaze me how much you people like her,” Ryedrin grumbled as he stalked past them, undoubtedly on his way to change as well.
Chapter 21
There was a reason Z had missed previous funerals. Leaning against Nivaradros as she listened to the fifteenth speech since the start of the event, Z struggled to appear as if she were paying attention, and she was. It was hard on her though, as parts of what was being remembered about Kitra were things she didn’t want to know, or things she had caused. Numerous Rangers brought up the fact Kitra had taken her on and ended up stressing how challenging of a charge she had been, which made her feel worse than she already did.
She didn’t, however, see Aliassya or the rest of the Council among those gathered, and while she didn’t know all the ins and outs of funerals, she was certain they should have been here. Glancing at Nivaradros, she signaled to him that she needed to go check on them. He agreed but insisted on coming with her. Since she was starting to get a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, his presence was welcome, and they left the small being they were watching with a Ranger in the crowd.
“You going to find our missing Council members?” Qualaris asked as he fell in step beside her. How he managed it while still looking frail was something she was determined to figure out.
“You suspect something too?” she wanted to know as Nivaradros took up the position on her left since Qualaris had stolen the spot on her right. To his credit he didn’t even react to the addition of the ancient Ranger, and he managed to give Qualaris a small nod.
“My dear, I always suspect something, as do you. What I don’t suspect at this time though is a crisis.” His green eyes were worried. “But it is clear you do, care to explain?”
She hesitated and glanced at Nivaradros. “Crilyne attacked Kitra and delivered her to Midestol,” she said without preamble, though she did keep her voice low so everyone else around them wouldn’t hear—there were many Rangers attending the funeral, and at this point she could not afford to have even one person overhear.
Qualaris’s white brow rose, but he inclined his head in understanding. “Telling us would have caused a war to erupt. The immortals would have joined, and we would either have had a magical backlash with a loss of life on all corners, or Midestol would have had the perfect chance to step up in the chaos to defeat us. We would have been too focused on the Shade to notice.”
“And since the Shade cannot be killed…” Z shook her head. “But Crilyne’s here and I slammed the door on his face last night.”
“Actually, you built one in front of his face,” Nivaradros corrected as he offered her a smile. It wasn’t his usual one and it set Z on edge.
“You sense it as well?” she asked.
“Death?” Nivaradros nodded as his eyes brightened. “Yes. I do not, however, sense any magic.”
“Magic is strictly limited in the meeting hall, and Crilyne’s fast enough that he wouldn’t require magic to overpower anyone.”
“Other than you,” Qualaris pointed out. “But if he’s attacked them, Z, the fallout will be on you.”
“If we’re too late,” she whispered in agreement. She began to pick up a jog then—worry hitting her as she realized even though she knew he was a danger, she had let Crilyne stay in the city without keeping an eye on him. But because she had kept her mouth shut, her people hadn’t known.
Nivaradros continued to walk, but he kept pace with her. Qualaris also increased his pace. Passing him a couple of her spare daggers, Z barked at the first doors to the Council building as she approached before sliding to a stop when they failed to open. Cursing, she put her hand to her chest in alarm, but her amulet pulsed against her hand. She was still a Ranger, which meant the doors were sealed against her for a reason she couldn’t explain.
“Stand back,” she told both of her companions before she closed her eyes and began to speak in the language the building had been created to understand. There was a swell of resistance, a sense of failure, and a silent plea for help. She promised it at once and felt another large buildup of power as the building brushed against her senses and her amulet.
The doors opened a second later. “Come,” Z breathed as she struggled to contain her anger. “We’re already too late.” Brushing past Nivaradros as he stepped forward first, she sprinted through the halls, no longer caring about the ‘proper’ thing to do.
The halls responded to her suppressed anger and began to shift in form. She heard Nivaradros begin to curse as the entire building started to react to what had happened within it, and Z still didn’t know how bad it was. Forcing the building to acknowledge her companions—all of them—as allies, Z felt the lingering feel of violence grow the closer she got to her destination. The last set of doors were glowing—their steel engravings swirling like snakes through the door while the whole thing shimmered with hidden disappointment. Z spoke a curt word and the door opened, letting out the smell of blood and the scent of death Nivaradros had picked up outside.
It had been a slaughter. Z had feared it would be, but it was still hard to accept something this terrible had happened in Ranger lands, in their own meeting hall. Moving from body to body, Z checked for signs of life. Harvario, Crosmas, Yashiria, and Aliassya had all been attacked first and Z guessed they had been caught off guard; they were all more or less in one piece. Aliassya had been slashed across the stomach and the neck but she was still bleeding and possibly alive. Kneeling beside Aliassya, Z placed her palm over the woman’s amulet. The woman’s eyes were open, but Z could feel a hint of life still remaining.
Aliassya! She called without much hope. Aliassya!
Zimliya?
Z felt the amulet beneath her hands respond before her healing power, the one she still refused to acknowledge, rose and demanded to be used. Holding the power at bay until she had permission to use it, Z listened for sounds of her comrades as she also listened for Aliassya’s reply. Relief struck her as she heard Nivaradros’s hiss and Qualaris’s curse as they arrived. Despite her fears, both of them seemed to be unharmed, though Qualaris was winded.
Aliassya, what happened?
Don’t heal me, Zimliya. Not for any reason. But keep yourself safe; the Shade is no longer to be trusted. He attacked us. He informed Crosmas that he had discovered the source of Kitra’s betrayal, but he couldn’t get you to listen to him. He asked if we would. We were…foolish. We know better than to trust a Shade, even him. We shouldn’t have gathered as a group. Zimliya, you must watch out for him.
I know. I’m so sorry, Aliassya. I know he betrayed Kitra, but I thought if I kept it silent for a few days I could keep you safer.
I suspected you knew something, but I didn’t suspect Crilyne. I am sorry, Zimliya, I thought you were withholding information for no reason. Aliassya’s amulet throbbed. This was not your fault—don’t let anyone blame this one on you.
Z was shocked. You don’t blame me?
Death puts things in perspective. You weren’t involved and I know you quite well. Stay safe, Zimliya. And watch your back. Crilyne isn’t acting— Aliassya’s voice and life ended together, and Z sighed as she closed the woman’s eyes.
“Crilyne’s work,” she confirmed as she sat up. Her hands were soaked in blood from contact with Aliassya’s amulet and she was kneeling in
a pool of it as well. She grimaced as she looked at the room. How would she explain this? More importantly, how would she get the room cleaned up and the bodies taken care of?
“Aliassya was the only one who was still alive,” Qualaris said as he finished his own examination. “Imagine losing six of our Councilors even though none of them was on the field, so soon after losing Kitra.” The old Warrior’s expression was bleak and he looked at Z with open concern. “Zimliya, you have to go. Now.” He nodded to Nivaradros. “Take her and leave. Immediately.”
Z tensed, but it was the Dragon who spoke up first. “Why?”
“An attack here will start a true shadow hunt. Amulet or no amulet, Zimliya is the only remaining member of the Council; all of the others were lost upon her return. She so very rarely graces us with her presence that I believe fear will overcome reason. We have never been attacked in this manner before, but we still hold grudges over Tenia’s betrayal. Take her, Nivaradros, and get her some place safe. Especially if Crilyne is a threat.”
“What about you?” Z asked in a hushed tone as she stood and began to arrange the bodies that were whole, while piecing together the others. She couldn’t just do nothing. Not this time.
“I will stay here and let them know about the appalling assassination that has occurred.” Qualaris reached over and took the arm she was handling from her. “Go, Zimliya.”
“I won’t run,” she told him. “If they want to turn this into a shadow hunt that is fine.”
“It is not fine,” Nivaradros argued. “We will retreat to one of the immortal kingdoms,” he told Qualaris as he grabbed her arm. “Zimliya—Z—come. There is nothing more we can do here. Crilyne’s played this game well, and we need to step back and plan our move.”
“He murdered the rest of the Council, Nivaradros!”
“And he’s setting you up to see what you will do,” Nivaradros explained. She glared at him despite the fact she knew he was right. “We will head to Arriandie to plan and make a course of action.”
“I have a course of action.”
“I would like to be a part of it, and I believe you owe it to your allies to allow them a chance to get involved. You don’t normally attack for revenge.”
“I am not working off revenge, Nivaradros!” she told him.
“Not yet you’re not, but you’re considering it. I won’t have it,” he added as he nodded to her former master and began to steer her to the main doors. “Thank you, Qualaris,” he surprised her by calling back to Ranger.
Z took care to make sure the doors opened for them on their way out, but instead of taking the main way, she led him down to the left. “If Qualaris says there is a chance I am going to take the fall, then the odds are too high for me to ignore. I want to get out of here before I can’t.”
She summoned a light as she took him deeper into the building. “I sent Sabaias a message to get out of here. We’ll have to leave Ashenira here, but they will either keep her and raise her themselves or give her back to the Mithane.”
“We’re not going to Arriandie?”
“We are,” Z said with a cutting smile. “But we’re not returning in a manner I’ve taken before.”
Nivaradros stared at her in amazement. “I see,” he said with a level of calm that she didn’t expect. “And how are we going to get there?”
She chuckled dryly. “The same way I have every other time—” she paused for a moment and then offered him an easy smile. “Magic.”
“You will never make sense to me,” the Dragon complained as he glanced overhead to see the complicated escape tunnel she was leading him through. “You hate magic and yet when you decide to use it, you use it so gracefully and well.”
“I use it when I have to, though I will admit I have grown used to having it, and I have therefore started using it more readily than I once did.”
She led him through the maze of passages that she dimly remembered reading about back when she had studied the layout of the meeting hall until they were outdoors. “We’re just outside of Lyngrisha,” she told him as she headed over to a nearby tree. Tapping the trunk twice with the back of a dagger she never used, she waited for the roots to shift to reveal a hidden cache of weapons.
“Pick one,” she told him in a clipped tone. “If Midestol is playing with Crilyne, odds of us being attacked are high.”
The Dragon raised a brow but nodded and reached into the pile of weapons to grab a sword. Drawing it, he examined the edge and the blade as a whole with a critical eye. “It looks like these have been well cared for,” he said as he slid the blade back into its sheath. “Are they yours?”
“This stash is mine yes,” she told him as the hole began once again to disappear. “There are also caches of weapons any Ranger can reach, but most of the Warriors prefer to keep their own set separately.”
Heading off without giving the Dragon anything more, Z moved as though she was already being hunted and was surprised to find Nivaradros didn’t appear to mind her suspicion. He was as silent as she as they moved through the vast meadow. The grass here wasn’t tall enough for her liking, but while the drought was starting to fade away, it would take the land some time to recover. Keeping her ears open for any dangerous noises, Z drew in her breath in a rush and leapt to the left as the Dragon froze.
The awaiting stranger yelped in surprise. “Alright! Alright!” he told her. “You don’t have to stab me, Z—you found me!”
“Your student is most persistent,” Nivaradros noted in a tone that managed to be disapproving while asking her for permission to kill their visitor.
“Former student,” she and Ryedrin chorused.
“Ryedrin, what are you doing here?” Z wanted to know as she kept her blade pointed at his chest. To his credit Ryedrin stayed still, noticing she wasn’t doing this out of habit or jest.
“You said you wanted my aid. When you left the funeral in a bit of a hurry, I took note. When you didn’t return, I was concerned. Qualaris informed everyone the rest of the Council had been found dead; I assumed that meant you had taken off. Rather than wait for the blame game to start, I came to meet you—hoping you would come here since it is the fastest way to get back to Arriandri—to see if you still wanted my aid.”
Surprised, Z took a second to realign her thinking. Sliding Kyi’rinn back into its sheath, she offered her former student a hand. “I’d be grateful for the help,” she said as he accepted it with a strong grip. She scowled at him. “You are seriously still that afraid of heights?”
“Forgive me for having a fear,” Ryedrin snapped. “I dragged my ass up there, didn’t I?”
Which explained why he had fought so damn poorly, she thought as she shook her head. “Well we’re going to be training a minimum of five hours each day we travel—while we travel—so I can make sure it was just your fear of heights that was limiting you and not that you have managed to lose that many of your skills.”
Ryedrin snorted and glanced at Nivaradros with a strange expression on his face. “Are you going to tell me who murdered our Councilors and why you had to just take off?”
“Crilyne, and because I suspect there will be a fallout when it is discovered. Qualaris is certain I am likely to be the target. Since he has a habit of being right, and I concur, I thought it better to get a head start.”
“Crilyne attacked them?!” Ryedrin cried out in astonishment. “Why?”
“If I knew that, he would possibly be safely dead—fully dead,” she muttered. It still stung to know he was behind this, especially because she couldn’t understand him doing it just because she had chosen to be with Nivaradros. Honestly, the Dragon was not that bad! She started walking again without speaking and heard and felt the other two begin to follow her—ironically it was the Dragon who moved without a sound of his passing reaching her ears.
“I believe he is interested in being a part of your first immortal game,” Nivaradros said after fifteen minutes had passed.
“I will never understand immo
rtals,” Z sighed. It made sense—in the darkly twisted immortal way of thinking she despised—but she also believed Crilyne had attacked the Rangers, and therefore her, because of her relationship with Nivaradros. But despite a growing sense that Nivaradros’s presence had played a part, she couldn’t follow the thinking that would have led Crilyne to attack the Rangers because of Nivaradros.
Possibly it had something to do with Nivaradros’s or Crilyne’s past. Sighing as she realized she had forgotten to research that aspect, she wondered what records would be most useful in that regard. She needed more time. Which meant she needed to access the library. Z glanced at the skies and sighed again—when had it gotten so dark?
“Ryedrin, how is your night travel?” she called over her shoulder.
“Better than my fighting twenty feet up in the air,” the Ranger told her in a voice that was quiet but managed to reach her ears anyway. It was another part of his training he had managed to retain.
“Can you pull off a couple more hours?”
“Zimliya, if you desired it, I could handle at least two consecutive days of travel. I let my balance and height training go by the wayside, but I haven’t lost everything you taught me. If you want to work on it, that’s fine, just remember I am trying.”
She smiled and continued walking. “Does this mean when we stop for the night I have permission to torture you by improving your ability to fight while standing on a moving surface that is also at least twenty feet in the air?”
Ryedrin coughed. “I am going to regret this aren’t I?”
“I already am, and I’m not even you,” Nivaradros drawled as he moved to walk beside her. She glanced at him with a raised brow and he smiled. “You agree with my thoughts on Crilyne, don’t you?”
“Sadly yes,” she sighed. “Which means the rest of the immortals may sit back and watch this play out in an attempt to discover how I would handle something like this in the future. What better way to plan your own moves than watch someone else’s dance first?”