With a shaky exhale, she turned a corner and reached the long line of manors; about ten of them stood along the river shore, their windows dark, front doors falling off their hinges. Squatters stayed in most of them, but some were so out of shape that no one bothered; floors caving in, rat infestations. Once the rich who’d lived here decided they didn’t want to live next to this lower part of the city where more and more low-wage workers were beginning to arrive, they’d turned to Amethyst Hill and never looked back.
The Dom lay in rubble near the southern end of the row of manors. The second floor was gone, scattered in heaps across singed grass, while the first floor was somewhat intact—the front wall had collapsed inward while the back and sides were beginning to buckle. It would fall soon too. An ache tugged at her heart, pulling her toward it through the cascading rain.
A few feet away, she halted, noticing someone else stood to the side of the Dom, arms crossed, her blue hair wet and sticking to the side of her face.
“Tannis?” Aina called, her voice nearly drowned out by the wind and the rain beating against the ground.
Tannis jolted, tearing her eyes away from the Dom. Once she spotted Aina, she walked over, saying nothing when she reached her—the devastation in her gold eyes was clear enough to not need words.
“It’s worse than I thought,” Aina said, crossing her arms and digging her nails into her skin. “Everyone in the Stacks will know about it by now.”
“I’m surprised Arman hasn’t sought us out yet to complain how this never would have happened with Kohl.” Tannis grimaced, her voice bitter. “Where did you go last night, Aina?”
Aina opened her mouth to answer, then paused, unable to think of a proper excuse when the Dom looked like this right in front of her.
When she still said nothing, Tannis tugged her arm lightly. “Let’s stand over there, out of the rain.”
Still with her hand around Aina’s arm, Tannis led them to the awning above the front door of another manor. When they reached it, Aina blinked the rainwater out of her eyes and considered what to say. She would tell everyone together about killing Fayes and his notes, but she wouldn’t tell anyone she’d stayed at Kohl’s new place last night. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Tannis leaned against the door next to her and squeezed the water out of her hair.
“It makes me so angry thinking that if Arman did come to mock us, he’d be right,” Tannis said, her voice low and hard. “This wouldn’t have happened if Kohl were in charge.”
“Only because he was on Bautix’s side,” Aina said, then froze, knowing her words implied that he wasn’t anymore. But when Tannis didn’t look immediately suspicious, she continued, “Things would have been much harder for him if he didn’t have that support.”
“Maybe that’s true,” Tannis conceded. “I used to think of him as an older brother, you know? Back when we were in the Vultures together, and then when he asked me to join the Dom. As the tradehouses grew more successful, he would take every opportunity to make me fight for my place. Working for the Dom wasn’t an invitation anymore, but a privilege. And I worked hard to keep that privilege, that’s for sure, but it also proved to me how dangerous it is to trust anyone. It gives them power over you.” Tannis let out a shaky breath, one of her hands curling into a fist where it still held her damp hair. “I’m grateful I have you here because I don’t know if I’d be able to do this on my own. You need allies to succeed in this city, and I’ve never been good at that. I’ve spent most of my life trying to stand on my own and avoid getting close to people, knowing how they could use it against me. But I’m trying to let go of that fear.”
When her words trailed off, Aina’s heart ached. She knew what it felt like to fear trust.
“You come from nothing too,” Tannis said, turning to face Aina directly, her words almost drowned out by a gust of wind. “And you’ve had to fight for everything you have. It makes it easier to trust you. Easier to like you.”
The shade covered half of Tannis’s face, leaving one eye molten-gold in appearance and the other like the glint of sunlight on water. Tannis reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind Aina’s ear, her hand lingering there. Tannis’s eyes flicked to her lips once, and a blush rose to Aina’s cheeks.
It makes it easier to trust you … But Tannis couldn’t trust her—she was working with Kohl.
The way he’d touched her chin or brushed her hair back from her face—always before delivering a threat or reminding her to be faithful to him—played in her thoughts over and over, tightening around her like a vise.
The person she could trust least in the world was herself.
“I know,” she said, catching Tannis’s hand and then bringing it down to their sides. “But I still can’t trust anything I feel, as long as he’s alive.”
At least that was what she wanted to convince herself—but even if she killed him, the memories would still be there, and so would the fear. He would never stop haunting her.
Tannis grimaced, her eyes flashing with doubt. Then she shook her head and stepped away slightly. “Well, that’s what you’re learning this magic for, isn’t it? Everyone else is probably at Ryuu’s house already. Let’s go meet them.”
By the time Aina and Tannis reached Amethyst Hill, the rain had only turned more ferocious, the ground now slick mud beneath their feet. Tannis tried to speak to her a few times, but they couldn’t even hear each other over the wind whipping downward from the hills ahead.
The guards at the gates of Amethyst Hill allowed them in without fuss, stating that Ryuu had told them he was expecting visitors that day. Since becoming friends with Ryuu, Aina had come here more often than she ever had in her life before, but this neighborhood full of Steels’ mansions still unsettled her. The cobblestone path ahead led past mansions large enough to fit at least ten families comfortably inside. Ryuu’s maple tree-lined mansion was at the very north end of Amethyst Hill, so they passed every other house on the way there. Normally, walking past such bold displays of wealth made her uneasy, but today the empty streets and the dark clouds blanketing it all made the whole scene strange—like walking through a dead city.
A maid led them through the marble halls and up to the second-floor library, where Ryuu, Raurie, Teo, and Lill waited for them. Cedar wood beams extended to the center of the ceiling, the wood scent permeating the space. She breathed it in, glad that it was much warmer here than outside. Before stepping farther into the library, she watched them all for a moment and steeled herself for hiding the truth about her work with Kohl once more.
“There you two are!” Raurie said, waving them over.
Then, at the same time that Lill asked, “Where did you go last night?” Ryuu asked, “Did you hear what happened?”
Pretending she didn’t hear Lill, Aina took a deep breath and asked, “About Gotaro? I was there.”
“Why would he kill Gotaro now?” Raurie asked. “He hasn’t even gotten the weapons to take over the Tower yet.”
“He’s too confident.” Teo scoffed. “He thinks because he attacked the Dom, he can take down anyone in the city.”
Teo met Aina’s eyes then and gave her a quick, slightly nervous smile. She returned one but couldn’t help the guilt squirming through her as she remembered their conversation last night.
“Wait, Aina,” Tannis said. “You said you were there? What happened?”
Shaking thoughts of Kohl from her mind, Aina said, “I found out who Bautix’s contact in the Tower was. It was Arin Fayes, a Diamond Guard captain. I knew he’d be on his boat today, so I went after him, but I didn’t know he was inviting the Sentinel there to try to assassinate them. I took out some of the Jackals he had with him, but Bautix still managed to shoot Gotaro. The rest of the Sentinel got off alive, and I killed Fayes too. Bautix will find out soon enough that I did it.”
She wondered whether they could smell the scent of the river on her skin, Kohl’s icy breath on her cheeks, and know she was lying to them. The thought sent
more shame curling through her, but she reminded herself why she was doing it—this arrangement was between her and Kohl—and the thought of anyone helping her stand up to him instead of doing it on her own was more unbearable than the lies.
She refused to look like she’d gone back to him, like she was weak enough to be ensnared by him again. They were working together, that was all.
“I still can’t believe Bautix killed one of the Sentinel just like that,” Lill said, shivering slightly.
“He probably wants to show them he’s not afraid of them,” Teo said, his brow furrowed in thought. “It wouldn’t send as much of a message if he killed them all at once. He wants them to be afraid before he kills them.”
“So we should stop him before he manages anything worse,” Aina said.
“I got everything we need for tomorrow,” Ryuu said. “I’ll go get it.”
As he left, the group moved to the round table in the sunken center of the room.
“It’s so odd being in a mansion after spending most of the last few years in cramped apartments or underground,” Lill said, her voice echoing off the walls of the circular room as she stared, open-mouthed, around the grand library. Then she closed her mouth and looked at the floor, as though ashamed of herself for being impressed.
“I know the feeling,” Aina murmured. “But there’s no need to be ashamed about it. Ryuu wouldn’t judge you; he judges himself more.”
Lill gave an uneasy shrug as the two of them trailed at the back of the group. “He doesn’t judge, but he doesn’t understand either.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Lill.”
Ryuu returned a few minutes later with several large, rolled-up papers tucked under his arms. Lill’s words reminded Aina of yesterday evening at the Dom, when Aina had thought of the fact that Ryuu was a Steel in order to use the blood magic against him. But she knew circumstances didn’t define a person; they were a part of you, but what you did with them was far more important. Her heart clenched as she looked at Ryuu, wanting to speak to him again about what had happened. But he didn’t meet her eyes when he crossed the library and smoothed out a map of the docks across the table.
“Before we start,” Aina said, withdrawing Fayes’s notes from her pockets and spreading them over the map, “this is information about the secret entrances into the Tower that Bautix had Fayes building.”
Tannis leaned across the table and began riffling through the notes. “Really? That’s good information, Aina.”
Ryuu had picked up a few of the notes and read them quickly, his brow creased. “I recognize the locations. Looks like a lot of them are passages that served old kings and queens in case they needed an escape. I thought they were all closed up during the war.”
Aina nodded. “Fayes and however many other guards are in Bautix’s pocket had been reopening them and also adding new ones. It looks like Bautix is planning to send people through multiple entrances, all at once, to have his men break into different parts of the Tower. There’s also a note proving that Fayes is the one who helped Bautix track down some of the prisoners we freed and blackmail them into working for him.”
“Does it say anything about where Bautix is hiding?” Teo asked.
“No, unfortunately,” Aina muttered, her hand curling into a fist in frustration at how he’d gotten away today. “But the Tower should know about these entrances. Bautix won’t wait much longer before striking.”
“I don’t know how you’ll get it to them,” Ryuu said slowly, twisting his fingers together as he stared at the letters. “After the assassination, the Tower is on lockdown. I’d even have to go through multiple stages of security if I wanted to talk to them.”
“We’ll find a way,” Aina said, trying to inject confidence into her voice. “But this all makes tomorrow even more important. We have to stop Bautix’s shipment so that he can’t even try to get into the Tower.”
Ryuu shifted aside Fayes’s notes and said, “Trains from the southwestern port and the northwestern port leave every hour from each, alternating so there’s a train every half-hour.”
He drew two lines from both ports along the main railroad heading east toward Kosín, his long fingers making steady and precise marks with a charcoal pencil. He’d drawn the map of the rail lines himself, showing where they entered Kosín and marking major stations.
“They’ll be coming from the southwest,” Aina said, pointing to a label marking that station. “Is it a passenger train or cargo? Where are some places they might put the shipment?”
“It’s a mix of passenger and cargo,” Ryuu said, “but it’s the first stop on the line, so there won’t be too many people boarding. Just tourists or business travelers from overseas. The train is cheaper than taking the luxury ferry along the river, so people traveling on a budget will take this train. Smugglers are known to hide their wares in cargo boxes. There are only a few Diamond Guards who patrol the trains, and they’re all bribed to look the other way. The ride lasts an hour from the coast to Kosín, so we’ll have that time to find whatever they’re putting on the train and stop it from reaching the city. And if we get a chance, we’ll take the weapons for ourselves.”
Aina glanced up at that, surprised at how devious his plan was. With a smile, he pulled a pouch from his pocket and passed it to Raurie. After she took it and opened it, she gasped and nearly dropped the bag.
“How many diamonds are in here?” she asked, her words nearly tripping over each other.
Ryuu shrugged. “I raided my parents’ old closet and found a lot of clothes and jewelry with diamonds.”
“We’ll have to be careful tomorrow,” Raurie said, cupping the bag of diamonds between her hands. “There will be more of a chance for people to see us using Verrain’s magic if things get out of control on the train. I’m scared what will happen to the other Inosen if someone catches us.”
“He’s most likely planning an attack against the Inosen,” Aina said, a bitter tone to her voice as she recalled the symbol Kohl had shown her in the Center earlier. “People are already spreading rumors that Inosen started the fire at the Dom. Bautix can use that to gain even more supporters.”
“Aina’s right,” Lill said, her eyes cast downward. “You know there are Jackals who might know where we are, Raurie.”
“If that’s the case,” Teo said, “then you need to leave the safe houses as soon as possible.”
“Where to, though?” Raurie muttered. “There’s a risk to us wherever we go.”
Ryuu cleared his throat and gave Raurie and Lill a pointed look. “My house has thirty bedrooms.”
“Anything we suggest, someone in our safe house will have a problem with,” Lill said in a soft voice. “And your neighbors will report us if they see any of us.”
“Not if you’re careful,” Ryuu said. “I’m not going to sit back and let you all get hurt if I can do something to stop it. Just know that the option is there; it always will be.”
“I hope we won’t always need it to be there.” Lill sighed. “My mother abandoned us years ago, that’s why it’s only me and my dad. When my own mother wasn’t trustworthy, how can I put my faith in someone else? And I know the rest of the Inosen feel the same; we’re too afraid to trust anyone. It’s nothing against you, Ryuu.”
He grimaced slightly, as if he didn’t really believe her, then said, “We should start practicing, then.”
Teo and Tannis stayed at the table discussing the plan for tomorrow, while Aina, Raurie, Ryuu, and Lill gathered in a circle a short distance away, each of them holding a knife. Aina hoped Ryuu had a good excuse for why there was blood all over the library floor once this ended.
“I think we should start with healing spells, before we all have to pretend to hate each other,” Raurie said with a grimace. “The important thing to remember is that this magic can only heal you from blood loss or diseases of the blood. It can’t cure anything else. Like the other spells, you need a diamond, and it can only be used for this one spell.”
“There are rumors, though, aren’t there?” Ryuu asked. “Of people with strong enough faith and purpose that they’re able to heal without diamonds or blood?”
Raurie gave an uneasy shrug. “There are stories of it in the Nos Inoken of people who gain that power after having some kind of divine experience, but it’s hard to tell what’s real. I’ve never heard of anyone in our lifetimes doing it, at least in Sumerand or Marin.”
“To start, we should each make small cuts on our arms and see if we can stop the flow of blood,” Lill said, passing diamonds around to each of them. “The cut should seal over too.”
“Aina…” Raurie began slowly.
“I won’t join the violent part,” Aina said, putting her hands up as if in surrender. “I’d end up making a river in here.”
Aina watched as they started, for some reason feeling nervous about this healing spell. She’d heard the words countless times, and it was easy, wasn’t it? To want to heal someone. She’d get this right.
Everyone seemed to find it pretty simple, and when it was Aina’s turn, all her fear had dissipated. Lill drew a small cut on her own arm, and Aina raised the diamond she held, dotted with her own blood.
“Amman inoke,” she whispered, staring at the cut on Lill’s arm. The blood that had trickled out was beginning to dry on the freckled skin of Lill’s arm, but the cut remained.
“That’s odd,” Lill said, peering closely at the diamond. “Nothing happened. Maybe you pronounced it wrong? Try again.”
Frowning, Aina stared at the cut again and said in a clearer voice, “Amman inoke.”
But as she watched, blood began to bubble at the edge of the cut, dripping once more toward the floor. She didn’t even feel the exhilaration, wind rushing through her ears, skin tingling with magic, that she had the last time they practiced.
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