by Gia Tsiknas
As his focus on the queen ebbed away, panic threatened to overwhelm him. He tried to turn his thoughts to Machi yet again, but his heart ached. Brizna closed his eyes and focused, pushing aside all distractions. He imagined Machi next to him, red eyes blazing as she taunted the guards, trying to get them to make a mistake, and smiled.
***
Zafirah frowned as the guards carted the prisoner away. She felt a twinge as she remembered his eyes. Something about them pulled at her. She shook her head and turned to the children.
“Come. We will go to your new home together.” Zafirah dismissed the crone with a flick of her wrist.
The old women hesitated, her mouth set into a hard line. “Is this necessary, majesty? Time can tear away any wall.”
“Time is not in abundance. We need results.” Zafirah’s eyes were distant. Crone frowned and bowed.
"Very well, my lady.”
Zafirah proceeded through the hidden door behind her throne, guiding the boy and girl. Once there she pulled a long silk cord. A servant bustled in and bowed.
“Kara, we wish to settle the children into their new home. Prepare them.” Zafirah smiled.
“Yes, you’re Highness.” With long, practiced efficiency, the servant stripped the children of their garments and lay them aside. She washed them in a small screened tub toward the back of the room. As they bathed Zafirah read one of the many books lining the walls. Once the children were dressed again, this time in a finery that matched her own, Zafirah dismissed Kara. She walked to another door and opened it.
They descended the stairs until they came to a large room filled with a plethora of glass tubes of varying sizes. Many were filled with different liquids that hissed and bubbled. A small group of alchemists were busy monitoring the chaos, recording every detail in journals.
They looked up as the queen presented the children with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
CHAPTER FIVE
POACHERS
The fire was everywhere, devouring the houses, the trees, the people. Their screams echoed through the night as the fire blinded her. She turned away, and a flicker drew her eye. The shadow of a man and dog.
Machi ran.
Laughter rang through flames to taunt her. She screamed and ran faster but the shadows pulled further and further from her reach.
***
Machi levied her hands under her and kicked. Her reward was the whoosh of air leaving lungs. She scrambled to her feet, her mind trapped in a fog. The room she occupied was stone walls with no windows. It was bare of furniture, a bucket in the corner served as her privy. She felt the cold touch of metal at her throat.
A torch thrust into her face, and she flinched back.
Where was she? Where was Hanaq? Had he fought the ambush? Was he captured as well? Or was he free, tracking her kidnappers? Or, Machi suppressed a shudder, had he left her to fate’s gamble? Machi glared at the Crusader holding the lance to her throat. No need to tip her hand.
“So it’s true, then.” The old Castor’s voice cracked, and she massaged her throat. The murmur among the men had Machi’s blood run cold. A few drew a circle on their foreheads, the shadow’s eye, to ward off evil.
Machi sneered at their superstitious fumbling.
“Where am I?”
“For the moment, you are in the Gamekeeper’s camp.” The woman’s gray eyes stared into hers. “Until the Don has decided otherwise.”
Disgust threatened to overwhelm her sense, she never liked the Poachers or their haughty leader. Then shiver traveled down her spine. The Don? Since when did he meddle in Hunter affairs?
The silence stretched and Machi bristled as the women’s eyes lingered on her hair and face. “Keep staring and I might have to fix your eyes for you, permanently.”
“You’re Drakian.” The elder Castor mused. “Odd that no one has noticed. The features are undeniable.”
Fear settled like a weight in her belly. Her parents’ screams filled her ears to run; to hide.
Fight. The barest whisper slunk through the fear.
Memories flooded her: her parents dead on the floor as their home burned, the Gray Demon laughing, the Poachers running her down like an animal. Machi gripped her fear and squeezed, shoving it aside and pulling close to the fire of her anger.
“I am a Hunter of the Black Guild.” Machi snarled, her rage threatening to break the chains of her control. “Release me to my Hunt, or pay the blood price my kind demands.”
The Castor laughed long and hard. The Crusaders didn’t lower their spears.
“A hunt for a scare-tale?” Her eyes, gray as a stormy sea, didn’t move from Machi’s face. “No wonder the Don wants you silenced.”
Silenced? The full weight of her statement doused Machi’s anger.
“I am to inform you the Captain of the Crusaders will be arriving shortly with the Don’s verdict. You are stripped of your rank as a Hunter of the Black Guild, and will await further orders here.” The Castor sniffed. “Take your life, if you have sense, girl. Nothing good awaits your kind.”
***
Darkness swallowed the room without the Crusader’s torches, the only light a paltry dribble spilling from under the wooden door. She sat against the wall, her head resting on her knees.
How had this happened? If she didn’t have the guild how would she find Brizna? How would she find the Gray Demon?
Brizna’s warnings echoed in her mind. Why hadn’t she taken his concerns seriously? Her breath came faster.
Stop it. Machi pinched her knee viscously. She stoked her rage until it was fever hot. This isn’t helping. Brizna is still missing, and the Gray Demon is still alive.
She lifted her face to view the chamber in the scant light. There were only blank walls, a bucket in the corner for waste, and a pile of blankets. The hallway was silent, set apart from everyday foot-traffic.
I need to get out. She slammed her heel into the door. The dull thud of her boot against the sturdy wood was not encouraging.
Machi fingered her ring. How the cursed flashy piece had stayed with her, she had no clue but its presence was comforting. She sat against the wall and sighed. The words from the girl in Den swam in her mind. Running but never finding, follow and arrive… Arrive where?
Not a jail cell, surely. Machi mulled over the past few days, her memory bringing Beyran’s unsurprised face to the front. That lying snake, he sold me out.
But what about Hanaq? He had to have noticed my capture. But if I’m no longer a Hunter, could I trust him?
I need a plan. Machi thought to herself. Then sighed. Brizna was the planner. She just provided the muscle. In a pinch her instincts were usually on point, but long-term planning was not something she was used to doing. Keep it simple, Machi. One, break out. Two, find Brizna. Three, kill the Gray Demon.
Machi winced. Easier said than done.
How could she break out with no reconnaissance, no weapons and no supplies? Then, how would she find Brizna if she had no further clues, let alone find and the Gray Demon? Machi fiddled with the ring and took a deep breath, then released it.
You get ahead of yourself, Machi. Brizna always chided. You’re resourceful. Take one step at a time and you can figure it out.
Whispers filled the darkness, and she felt a presence.
“Who’s there?” She demanded. The presence shifted away as the soft tap of leather slippers hitting the floor whispered along the barren hallway.
Machi frowned. The slippers were different from the presence.
“Here you go, miss.” A young girl lifted the flap from the bottom of the door and slid a tray of food through the gap. The girls voice was soft and musical. Her presence oozed an open trust that filled Machi with heartache. The girl closed the flap and Machi heard her turn to leave. A gentle breeze wound through the door and circled Machi.
“Wait.” Machi called before she even knew what she was doing. The girl stopped. “Talk with me. There’s nothing else for me to do here and it’s boring
.”
“Alright.” The girl leaned to peer into the cell, her head blocking the scant light. Machi watched as she leaned against the wall. She could make out the girl’s bright green eye and a lock of scarlet hair. “You don’t look like a demon.”
“Not even an introduction and I’m already being judged by a child.” Machi grinned.
“I’m Lua, and I’m not a child!” The girl’s forehead wrinkled in a frown. “Besides, everyone says Drakians are demons with dragon pets. And you have red eyes and everything.”
Machi flinched.
“So, are they real?”
“What?”
“Dragons.” She elongated her words as if she talked with a simpleton. “Are they real?”
Machi’s mind drifted. The soft tones of her mother’s voice weaving tales at her bedside rang through her. Her father’s mock roar as Machi played dragons with him. Her throat caught, and she ground her teeth.
“I know someone who talked of them often.”
“Who?”
Machi bit back her tart response. She needed information. She needed an ally. Machi forced her tone to stay light, friendly.
“My mother told me that she would take me on a journey to find one.”
“Did you?” Lua’s eyes grew wide.
“Would I be here if I had?” Machi couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice.
Lua was silent. A gentle thud came from the door as the girl sat.
Machi’s eyes narrowed as whispers filled her ears, dark and insistent. I could grab her. Force her to find the key.
Machi blinked. Since when did she involve children in her problems?
Not a child. The whispers cooed. A tool. Just take it. Break the tool and others will come running. They so love their tools.
A slight breeze caressed her face, as refreshing as high mountain air. The icy tingle spread, calming her thoughts. What was that? And, why was it so familiar?
Machi shook her head. She could figure this out later.
“Please talk with me.” Lua’s voice broke through her thoughts. She sounded small, broken, desperate to hold on to a moment where her words mattered, where she mattered.
Machi’s heart pricked. She bit the inside of her lip.
Stop that! She scolded herself. Pity never got you anywhere.
Machi could hear the girl trying to stifle her tears. Her heart pinched again, and she took a breath.
“Well, Lua, maybe we can help each other.”
CHAPTER SIX
CAMP
Keep it simple. Machi told herself. Get the key. Get my weapons. Escape. The key.
Machi sighed and settled back against a wall to wait. Was sending Lua for the key too risky? Should she wait for more reconnaissance? No, she didn’t know when the Captain would arrive. She needed to escape now.
Machi stared at her ring. It looked normal. No glowing, no streaks of color, just a blue stone in a simple setting.
She reached into a pocket and pulled out Brizna’s letter and stared at it. After another moment she unfolded the worn paper. There wasn’t much written on it. Several places were scratched out and rewritten, as if he didn’t have the words to say what he wanted. She read it twice and closed her eyes.
He knew. He knew she was Drakian. He knew he would be taken, though not sure when. The slave girl had told him years ago, and Raboni had confirmed it. She shook her head and stared once again at the ring.
His mother’s ring.
“What bothers you, huntress?” Hanaq’s deep voice was silk brushing her skin, startling her from her thoughts.
“Where have you been?” Machi dropped her hand to her side.
Hanaq seemed to melt through the wall, a shadow solidifying into his gleaming shape. His hood was up, his mask and torso lost to the shadows, despite Machi’s spectacular night vision. Machi could feel his gaze on her and her blood stirred.
“You did not call.” She could hear the amusement in his voice.
Machi choked back her taunt. She hadn’t called out to him. Why?
“Worry not.” Hanaq stepped forward. “Only ask me, and I will give you their heads in a line.”
Machi frowned. “They threw me from the guild. Why help me?”
Hanaq smiled, a soft rumble filled the room, but every time she tried to focus on the sound it slipped from her grasp. “I care not for the guild. You are the one I owe loyalty to.”
Machi blinked, flushing a deep crimson.
“But your mind lies elsewhere.”
Hanaq waited patiently as Machi struggled with her words. She twisted the ring, feeling Hanaq’s gaze. “I thought I knew who my comrades were, and who was my enemy.”
Hanaq stepped forward from the shadows, tucking a finger under her down-turned chin and lifting her face to look into his.
“And?”
“And now, I’m not so sure.” Machi swallowed hard and turned away. Why did she feel like she was betraying Brizna?
Hanaq didn’t shift, as if he was waiting for her to make the next move.
“I always thought the Poachers were low on stock when they raided my village; I thought my guild would aid me in the search for my parent’s killer. I thought the Hunters could replace my family.” Machi’s nervous laugh echoed the room. “I was wrong.”
“You can be sure about me.” His deep rumbling voice had an edge that made Machi shiver. She looked back at the man. His golden eyes were molten. A fever pitch of heat built in Machi’s chest. “Only order me, huntress, and I shall lay bare your enemies for your pleasure.”
She stepped closer, luxuriating in the heat.
“Machi!” Lua’s excited whisper came through the door.
Hanaq took a tentative step back, returning to the shadows. His eyes burned in fury. Machi turned to the door.
“I have the key!” She giggled. “You won’t believe it. They were drunk. They’re never drunk, but they were, and I just walked up while they snored and—”
“Very good.” Machi said. She glanced back toward Hanaq, but he no longer stood in her cell. Whatever sorcery brought him here had taken him away without a trace. “Now open the door.”
“Fine.” Machi heard the hurt in her voice and sighed.
It took scant seconds for Lua to fit the key, a clunk of iron on iron signaling the door unlocking. With a grunt the door swung open to show a young child. Her red hair glistened as the torchlight behind her set it afire in an unearthly illusion. The girl’s emerald green eyes sparkled as she watched Machi, a large, genuine smile alighting her features. She couldn’t be older than ten.
Lua wore a long-sleeved shirt loose on the arm and snug on the wrist, her skirt tied up with a cloth belt. She wore leather slippers. Lua blushed, took Machi’s hand, and pulled her. “This way!”
“Where are we going?”
“There’s a tunnel after the guards. We can skirt the tents and make it to the weapons hovel with no one noticing if we go that way. But we need to hurry, the guards might wake up, or another guard might come, or—”
“Wait.” Machi cut her off, sighed, and pulled the girl to a stop. Lua paused, her leather slipper patting in frustration.
Machi reached to the dusted earth. She used her finger to etch out a simple design, one she and Brizna had memorized long ago.
“When we escape, if we get separated, go to Den. There is a woman named Erilia in the Pewter District with a trinket shop. Show her this mark, and she will take you in.”
Machi sounded stupid, even to herself. But the girl choked a sob and threw her arms around Machi’s waist, clutching with everything the little body had. Machi stiffened and patted the girl.
“Let’s have this out later.” The light was fading, and Machi didn’t want to risk more guards arriving. “Packs first.”
Lua sniffled, pulling away to Machi’s relief. She grabbed Machi’s hand once again and led her toward the entrance, past the drunken guards, and out into the twilight.
The camp was throwing a feast. Roaring bonfires
surrounded by rings of tents decorated the front of the cave. Poachers brayed out drunken songs and calls for more booze and food from slaves.
That explains the guards. Machi surveyed the tents. Bonfires killed most everyone’s night vision, and surrounded as they were by tents and bodies, there were plenty of shadows. The only solid structures in the camp were a wooden shack at the east end of camp, and a lean-to structure barring another cave into the cliff. A cliff spanned the north end of the camp, high enough and sheer enough to dissuade any attack from that direction. To the east, past the hut, was the Jied River, deep with a fast-moving current. No one could make it across without a raft, and that would only mean they’d be easy marks for archers. The only access to the outside was the main gate to the south or the forest to the west, so dense with underbrush that it was almost impossible to navigate. Almost.
Machi bared her teeth in a feral grin.
“Here.” Lua whispered. She had gone to a small boulder leaning against the cliff. She was trying to pull it away, but couldn’t get a good hold on its rounded edges. Machi stepped forward. The boulder was large for a child to move, but she figured there wouldn’t be too much difficulty for someone of her size and strength. She braced herself and pushed, rolling the stone aside to reveal a crawl space.
Lua flashed an excited grin and dove into the hole. Machi glanced around the shadows.
“Hanaq.”
“Yes, Huntress.” Hanaq materialized off her shoulder, his Hunter garb blending in seamlessly with the flickering shadows.
“When I signal you, create a distraction on the east end of camp. I want attention away from the forest.”
“A diversion? You are not prey, Huntress. Face them. With me at your side they will not take us.” He narrowed his eyes.
Machi shook her head, glancing at the hole Lua had used. “We need a clean escape to keep Lua from injury. We cannot risk a battle.”