He had nodded. “I’m still going to believe it’s magic though. I have to.”
“Whatever lies you have to tell yourself, Remy, are no business of mine.”
But now that Eliana had seen Lord Morbrae, the knowledge of what her body could do—the question of what that meant—sat noxiously inside her.
Am I one of them? she thought, reaching back to scratch her shoulder. Or will I become one of them?
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hob staring at her and remembered to wince as she moved.
“Quickly and quietly,” Simon muttered, “slip into the crowd along with everyone else. Stay close.”
Together, their ragged group of five slowly moved onto the broad, crowded road that led to the city of Rinthos.
It was a path congested with travelers: Refugees seeking shelter from the wild lands beyond. Small clusters of musicians fiddling baudy traveling songs and singing laments for the dead. A few merchants shilling wares—clothes, medicines, drugs, idols of the Emperor carved out of wood and small enough to wear around one’s neck.
Eliana kept her gait stiff, uneven, and her eyes focused straight ahead on the city gates. Adatrox drifted throughout the crowd and patrolled the perimeter wall, but they did not stop anyone from passing through the city gates. Not even the Empire, it seemed, wanted to do the work of clearing out the massive, clogged sprawl that was Rinthos.
It was the perfect place to hide.
It was also, quite possibly, a disastrous place to hide. Surely the Empire knew of what had happened at the outpost, had heard of the girl blowing apart an entire regiment of adatrox and, perhaps, surviving. An adatrox could have seen Simon retrieve her body from the wreckage, flee on horseback with her. Maybe this adatrox had sent a message to Lord Morbrae.
Maybe the general’s ashes, blown apart when the outpost detonated, had coalesced back into a solid frame. Maybe he was, at this very moment, stalking their trail.
Eliana counted her breaths until her thoughts stopped spinning.
They had no choice; they had to stop in Rinthos. Hob needed to meet his contact, who would help resupply Patrik, his soldiers, and the now-homeless refugees.
And Eliana, as far as they knew, desperately needed medicine.
As they passed through the outer wall of Rinthos, Eliana glanced up at the overcrowded city towering above her and licked her cracked lips out of sheer uneasiness. An interweaving network of stone paths, wooden bridges, and twisting staircases stretched high above them, connecting apartment to apartment and high road to low road. Not far from the city was the Sea of Bones, which churned between Ventera and the occupied kingdom of Meridian. A thin film of sand coated the crumbling roads, and whenever they passed one of the canals that snaked through the city, the pungent smell of fish and waste was enough to turn Eliana’s already restless stomach.
They had been navigating the choked streets of Rinthos for an hour when they finally found Sanctuary’s entrance—an unremarkable door at first glance, coated in peeling gray paint and bolted with a broken lock.
But past the door, down a narrow staircase, they emerged into a small, damp room manned by three masked guards. Each towered two heads above even Simon.
The lead guard stopped Simon with a curved blade at his throat.
Simon lowered his hood, then uttered something in a lyrical language Eliana didn’t recognize. Not traditional Venteran and not the plain common tongue.
Beside her, Remy sucked in a breath.
Whatever Simon had said must have been the right thing to say. The guards moved aside; one of them unlatched the heavy metal door on the far wall.
Simon inclined his head, then led the way into the dark, low-ceilinged rooms beyond.
Sanctuary.
The smell of the city’s infamous gambling pits slapped Eliana like a fetid hand—cooking meat, pipe smoke, scented oils, ale and wine, sweat-stained bodies, the tang of blood.
“What language was that?” Eliana whispered to Remy as they followed Simon inside.
“Old Celdarian,” Remy whispered back, his fingers tight around her own.
A chill went down Eliana’s back. “The language of the Blood Queen.”
“And of the Lightbringer,” Navi added.
Eliana glanced at her, resisting the urge to touch the necklace beneath her shirt.
Sanctuary was a cramped and raucous city-within-a-city. Five circular levels, lit by gas lamps at every column support, looked down upon a floor packed with people. They gathered at tables, hands full of cards, or around pits where vicious dogs tore at each other. Men in ragged trousers beat their opponents to a pulp in square wire cages, while onlookers shouted out their wagers and thrust fistfuls of money into the air.
And above, on each of the mezzanines looking down over the fighting pits, the shadows teemed with shapes—couples whispering over their drinks, scantily clad dancers writhing on tabletops. Card players masked in clouds of smoke gathered on cushions surrounding low tables. One man, so corpulent Eliana could not see his eyes within the folds of his skin, shouted out with wet, choking laughter as two men wrestled at his feet. On the third level, a woman so pale that both her skin and hair glowed white in the candlelit gloom held court in a private curtained parlor. A beautiful young man wearing hardly enough to cover himself lounged beside her, muscles shimmering with powder.
They passed the couple and disappeared into a dark, narrow corridor flanked by two hooded figures, their faces hidden. Eliana’s fingers itched to grab Arabeth.
A curtain dropped closed behind them, plunging them into silence. Their footsteps disappeared in the corridor’s plush carpet. Tiny gas lamps softly lit the way.
“A charming place,” Navi observed mildly.
A smirk twitched at Eliana’s mouth. “Perhaps we should enter Simon into one of those fights downstairs, win ourselves some coin for your refugees, Hob.”
Simon stopped at a door in the wall. “Only if you are my opponent, Dread. We could re-create our first meeting for everyone.”
“The one when I would’ve beaten you, had you not pulled a gun on me?”
“The one when I knocked you soundly on your ass.” Then he rapped once on the door. A metal slat in the wood snapped open, and Simon uttered another sentence in Old Celdarian.
At once, the door opened to a quiet chamber lined with silent robed figures. A muscled, middle-aged woman with amber-brown skin rushed out from a side door, straight for Hob. “Thank God you’re alive!” She hugged him fiercely, clapped a hand on his back. “We heard about the attack on—”
The woman had seen Navi, and after a moment of frozen shock, she sank to her knees.
“Your Highness,” she whispered. “Forgive me. I knew you would be here, and yet seeing you in the flesh—” She looked up at Navi, eyes glittering with tears. “Since hearing of your flight from Astavar, and then seeing the intelligence you sent through Red Crown from Orline… My lady, I prayed every day that the Queen’s light would guide you home to us.”
Navi helped the woman rise, her own eyes bright. “You are from Astavar?”
“I am, my lady. But Red Crown is my allegiance. I have not seen home since the Empire took Ventera.”
“Please, tell me if I can bring back with me any messages for your loved ones.”
“I have no loved ones, my lady.” The woman set her jaw. “They all came with me to fight for Ventera. I am the only one left.”
Navi closed her eyes. “My sister, your courage leaves me without words.”
“Well!” The woman sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes. “Lucky for you, my lady, I’ve enough words for us all. Hob?” She slapped a hand onto his shoulder. Hob grimaced. “I know you need my help, for your Patrik and your wandering rebel babes. And my help you shall have. But first, baths. You all smell like shit.”
“Who is this?” Eliana jerked her hea
d at the woman. “Will anyone introduce us, or will we all just stand here and let her ramble on?”
“I know who you are.” The woman stepped back from Hob and considered Eliana with narrowed eyes. “You’re the Dread of Orline. You ruined the raid. You almost got everyone at Crown’s Hollow killed.” She looked Eliana up and down, then spat in her face. “My name’s Camille. I’ve got enough paid swords in this place to fill a temple. So don’t fuck with me, girl. Or it’ll be your end.”
Then she stepped back, smiled brightly at everyone, and clapped her hands. Four of the robed figures glided forward.
“We’ve prepared bathing rooms for you. Please don’t talk to me again until you smell better. Oh! Little one.” Camille smiled at Remy. “You’re a sweet fellow. To whom do you belong?”
Remy lifted his chin and took Eliana’s hand. “To my sister.”
Camille’s face hardened. “Well, that’s a shame, isn’t it?”
He glared back at her. “Not to me.”
Even to Eliana, the smug smile she shot at Camille felt insufferable.
• • •
But upon entering the bathing chamber, Eliana’s mind caught up with itself, and her happiness died.
Shit.
It was a gorgeously appointed room—walls of white polished stone, dressing screens covered with brocaded fabric in plum and turquoise, cushioned settees piled high with bath linens, baskets of soap, bottles of oils and lotions.
In the center of the space bubbled an enormous circular pool. A fountain stood at its center, featuring a slender statue of Saint Tameryn combing shadows from her hair.
They were to bathe here. Eliana wanted, desperately, to bathe. But first Navi would want to change her bandages. She would see Eliana’s smooth, unblemished back. Simon and Hob had taken another chamber—thank God—but Navi was bad enough.
Eliana released Remy’s hand and began backing away from the pool.
“El?” He glanced at her, yawning, then froze. “Oh.”
Navi gazed happily at the pool and let out a contented sigh. “God, it’ll feel good to remember what it’s like to be a proper human again. Eliana, let’s change your bandages.”
“Here you are, my lady,” murmured one of the bustling attendants. She handed Navi a basket of clean white cloths. “The Wolf told us you would need these. We are trained as healers, my lady. Shall we help you?”
“Oh, that would be lovely. Eliana?” Navi frowned when she saw Eliana inching toward the door. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t want to change my bandages.” Eliana’s panic was so complete that she could think of nothing else to say. “They’re fine.”
Navi’s smile was bewildered. “They’ll get infected if we don’t. It’s been hours. Come here.”
One of the attendants moved toward Eliana, bowed, then reached out to guide her down the steps toward the pool.
Eliana slapped her away. “Get away from me!”
Navi stared at her. “What in God’s name is wrong with you?”
“Don’t come any closer.”
“Tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help.”
Eliana let out a burst of incredulous laughter. “I need help from no one.”
“You’re delirious. Your fever has returned.”
“Just leave her alone!” Remy cried out.
Before Eliana could move, still frozen with fear, Navi had lunged, spun her around, and pinned her, front first, against one of the room’s smooth marble columns. A familiar blade pressed into Eliana’s side.
Arabeth, she thought faintly, you traitor. She wanted to twist away, but remembered her supposed wounds.
“You’re hurting me,” she gasped out. “Please, my burns—”
“This knife of yours is my favorite,” Navi said tightly. “I couldn’t resist swiping it when I had the chance. I’ll give it back, perhaps. If you don’t make me angry. You’re hiding something from me. Tell me what it is.”
“Navi, please!” Remy’s voice was near tears. “Let her go!”
“Sweet Navi,” said Eliana, Navi’s cheek so close to her own she could smell the girl’s stale breath. “And I thought you wanted us to be friends.”
“I do.” Navi sounded genuinely sorry. “But if you don’t answer me, I’ll knock you out and fetch Simon, and he will change your bandages, and you won’t be able to stop him.”
Eliana let out a desperate growl. “Would you like to wager on that?”
“You’ve been acting strangely for days now. It’s not the fever nor your wounds. You’re planning something. Another escape? Will you bring death down upon Rinthos like you nearly did on Crown’s Hollow?”
“I’m planning nothing.”
“Then what is it?”
Eliana realized too late that her eyes were filling with sudden, exhausted tears.
Navi’s expression softened. “What are you afraid of?”
“El, don’t,” Remy warned.
Eliana glanced past Navi at her brother, and then at the attendants waiting frozen nearby. And she realized, with a sick twist deep in her gut, that she wanted this. She wanted to tell someone who could help her sift through her questions—Lord Morbrae’s throat, the vision of the Emperor, her own impossible body—and find an answer.
And if she was going to tell someone…better Navi than Simon.
She took a shuddering breath. “Leave us,” she said quietly.
Silence. Navi turned to the two attendants. “Do as she commands. Say nothing of this.”
They bowed their heads and glided out of the room. Once the doors had closed behind them, Eliana closed her eyes. “All right.” She let out a long, slow exhale. “All right.”
Remy’s tearful voice came out choked. “El, don’t. Please.”
“I want to.”
Navi stepped away and lowered Arabeth, her expression grave. “What is it, Eliana?”
Eliana hesitated, then, still facing the column, shrugged off her jacket. She pulled off her bloodstained tunic to reveal the dirty bandages beneath. Dressed only in her boots and trousers, she whispered, “Take them off, and you’ll see.”
Navi gently began removing the bandages wrapped around Eliana’s torso. When the first bandage gave way, Navi gasped.
Shivering, Eliana leaned her forehead against the wall, crossed her arms over her chest, and waited for Navi to finish. She had never felt more vulnerable in her life.
“Eliana…” Navi traced her fingers over the muscles of Eliana’s bare back. “They’re gone. Your burns… It’s like they were never there. I don’t understand.”
“You won’t tell anyone.” She steeled herself and glanced over her shoulder. “Will you?”
After a moment of tense silence, Navi muttered, “Of course I won’t tell anyone,” and walked away.
Dizzy with relief, Eliana retrieved her tunic and slipped it back on. “If you did tell someone—”
“Then both Red Crown and the Empire would scramble to make you a great weapon, with no regard for your own safety, and that is not a fate I would wish on anyone.” Navi’s voice hardened. “This war has claimed the lives and bodies of too many women.”
Then she turned, thoughtful. “Tell me how it started. Not just this one time, I assume?”
Eliana took a steadying breath. “It’s always been like this. When I was small, I thought nothing of it. I’d fall, scrape my leg, and it would heal almost instantly. I figured, ah, well, that’s lucky, and moved on. But as I grew older, I realized it was…an unusual thing.”
“To put it mildly,” Navi said with a troubled smile.
“I told Remy, eventually.” Eliana found Remy huddled miserably on one of the cushioned benches beside the pool. She sat beside him, pulled him close. He turned gratefully into her side. “He helped me keep it a secret from our parents, even from Harkan. M
y friend. My partner.” It was the first time she had said Harkan’s name since saying goodbye to him on that awful day in Orline. Saying it felt like plucking a physical thing from her heart, leaving a hollow place behind. “I’m sure Harkan noticed—we were too close for him not to—but he never said anything. I don’t know why. To respect my decision not to confide in him about it, I suppose.” She shook her head. “I did not deserve a friend such as he was.”
Navi paced quietly. Then she stopped, staring down at the rippling water.
“You’re worried because you saw the same thing happen to Lord Morbrae as has happened to you all your life.” Navi looked up, pity on her face. “You’re worried that you’re one of them.”
“But she isn’t!” Remy’s face flushed angrily. “Their eyes are black. Hers aren’t. They’re evil, and she isn’t.”
“I agree, Remy,” said Navi, “as someone who has spent too much time among their kind. You are not one of them, Eliana. Your face doesn’t hold that same hunger. The air doesn’t shift wrongly around your body, as if you don’t quite fit in this world.”
“What are they, then?” Eliana asked quietly. “What did you see when you lived in the maidensfold?”
Navi sat on a cushioned bench with her shoulders high and tense. “I saw men who glutted themselves and still hungered. Who took lover after lover to their beds and never felt sated. I lay with generals who begged me to carve up their bodies and who threatened to carve up my own if I wouldn’t obey—and then, as they writhed beneath me, their flesh healed, and they howled in despair.”
Navi drew in a long, slow breath. “Lord Arkelion took quite a liking to me and often summoned me to his rooms. Sometimes, when looking into those black eyes of his, I would see things.”
“Like I saw the Emperor,” Eliana murmured. “I looked into Lord Morbrae’s eyes, and suddenly there he was. And there was Celdaria.”
“Yes.” Navi looked up, her expression haunted. “Very much like that. When with His Lordship, I saw things I would not understand. Visions. Images. And all of them were of wrath and revenge. Blood-darkened hills. A void that spun me farther and farther away from the light. I would feel these images in my blood after leaving him, like he had infected me with an echo of whatever sickness plagues him. I would return to the maidensfold and keep myself away from the others until the feeling had passed. I was afraid of myself. I feared I would lash out, hurt them.”
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