by Cayla Keenan
Jayin’s eyes strayed to the cuff on her wrist. The cuff that no longer bound them.
Stars damn it. “I’m not leaving him.”
“But you are—”
“Yes, I’m sahir, he’s not,” Jayin said hurriedly. Her heart pounded like it was trying to rip free of her ribcage. “But unless you want all of us to get captured, you’ll take us both with you. Please.”
The witch had to have a safe place. There was no way someone with her kind of power had survived so long in this kingdom without a hideout.
“Not him,” the woman said, gesturing to Maddix’s prone from. “No dayri.”
“Yes him,” Jayin insisted before slipping into the Oldlands language. “I will reap what he sows.” She didn’t even know if Kaddahn witches spoke the ancestral tongue, but it was worth a shot.
“His actions, your consequences,” the witch said, replying in kind. Jayin nodded. Anything Maddix did, any rule he broke, was her responsibility. She knew how dangerous it was to vouch for him, but she was out of options.
It was an old sahir custom and common in the carrion gangs. Both factions lived with a sense of honor, a code of conduct that could never be broken. The Kingswitch vouched for each and every one of the witches that were brought into the Palace, and for that, they owed him a debt. For all of the sahir’s elitism and arrogance, they were nothing more than a gang. An aristocratic, magical bunch of carrions.
The witch snapped her fingers and Maddix rose slowly to his feet.
“Hey,” Jayin said, her voice heavy with relief. Maddix didn’t respond. His eyes were open but unresponsive, pupils blown so wide she could hardly see the blue of his irises anymore.
“He will not answer, and he will not remember, but you will be able to lead him. We must go. Now.”
“Come on,” Jayin said, taking Maddix’s hand.
“He does not hear you,” the witch said over her shoulder, weaving through the crowds of people still streaming through the streets. Maddix followed, shambling behind her. His aura was quiet, wiped clean. Jayin pushed away the temptation to read him.
“Where are we going?” Jayin asked as they made their way out of the tiny border town. The surrounding land was dusty and barren. Deadlands. Maddix had been right about one thing; Kaddah was dying.
“Hush, child,” the old witch said. She set an impressive pace for someone her age. “Do you have a name or do you just talk and keep company with dayri?” Jayin’s grip tightened on Maddix’s hand.
“Jayin,” she said.
“Linji,” the woman replied. Something behind them rustled.
“Who is this?” said a voice at their backs. There were knives in her hands before the stranger finished his question. Jayin stepped in front of Maddix before turning to face the tallest man she’d ever seen.
“And why does she have a dayri?”
“Evin, good,” Linji said. “Come, help an old woman. It’s been a very long night.”
“Explanations first,” said the man, Evin.
Jayin eyed him up and down. He looked like Ravi, or what Ravi would grow up to look like, all pitch-dark skin and close-cropped black curls. Only his eyes were different, gray-gold and unyielding.
“They got caught in a raid,” Linji said. She muttered something in Kaddahn, too quickly for Jayin to translate.
After what felt like an eternity, Evin shrugged, gesturing them forward. Holding on the old witch’s arm, Evin pressed his hand into a boulder that blocked their path. Jayin felt a flare of magic, and the ground rumbled. The center of the stone shifted and crumbled away, revealing a steep staircase that led under the ground.
“Watch your step,” the man said, gesturing Jayin and Maddix ahead. “You’re with me, Nana. Can’t have our best girl tripping and hurting herself, now can we?”
“Evin, you smooth talker,” the old witch said, pleased. Jayin ignored both of them, focusing on the tunnels. Unhewn stone flickered under torches mounted on the walls. She tried to scout ahead, but something was interfering with her magic. She could only sense a few feet in front of her before the connection fizzled and her second sight winked out of existence.
They walked for nearly half a mile before, the tunnel opened into a cavern so enormous it would have housed half the Palace.
And it was filled with sahir.
“Bleeding, bloody stars,” Jayin gasped. There were dozens of witches gathered in the cavern below her. Some were sitting together, laughing and talking; some were even practicing magic. In the middle of Kaddah.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Evin said in her ear.
“How is this possible?” Jayin asked.
“I’m afraid questions are not in this part of the tour,” Evin said. “You’re lucky we let in a dayri-sympathizer. By any means, Nana should have just let him die out there. That’s what I—”
Jayin jammed her knife under his chin, the hooked blade poised to yank his tongue out from the outside.
“Shut up before I make you,” she said, deadly calm.
“You really do know how to pick them, don’t you Nana?” Evin said tensely. “How about you put those down before you hurt yourself, little girl.”
Jayin gritted her teeth, forcing her temper into check. “I’m not the one who’ll get hurt, I promise you.”
“I like her,” Linji proclaimed, breaking the stillness. “But Evin is a bit of a favorite around here, so before anyone gets disemboweled, you and your dayri should come with me.”
He’s not my anything, Jayin thought. She shot Evin one more poisonous glare before stowing her knife back up her sleeve.
“Come on,” she said, taking Maddix’s hand again. The old woman led them away from the cavern to a wide tunnel honeycombed with caves. They rounded a corner to a tiny living quarter well away from the others. It was tall enough for Jayin to stand straight, but Maddix had to crouch to fit inside.
“I’m going to have to tell the others about this,” Linji said. She sounded amused by the prospect.
“What about him?” Jayin asked, guiding Maddix into a sitting position. “How long is he going to be like this?”
“He’ll be fine in an hour or so,” Linji said, waving her worry away. “He’ll wake up with a headache, but otherwise he’ll be all right.” She paused, looking between the two of them. “You two will be safe here. Evin has a big mouth but we do not harm our own people, and you’ve vouched for the dayri.”
“Forgive me if I don’t take that on faith,” Jayin replied, playing with one of her ring daggers.
“I don’t care if you take it at all,” Linji said, shrugging. “But we have only survived here for so long because we know that sahir must stand together.”
“How did all of you get here?” Jayin couldn’t help but ask. “I didn’t know it was possible to do magic in Kaddah.”
“That is not a question I can answer, but I will send for someone who can. Until then, you should get some rest. I will ensure that you are not disturbed.”
Jayin didn’t quite believe her, but the old witch seemed to be done talking. As soon as Linji was gone, Jayin settled down on the stone ground. A chill settled into her bones and she sagged as the stress of the night finally set in. Jayin sat close to Maddix while his aura couldn’t hurt her, laying her head on his chest and leeching his body heat.
Somehow, while she was waiting for Maddix to metabolize Linji’s magic, Jayin fell asleep. She woke slowly to a comforting weight on her shoulders. Jayin blinked, feeling her skin warm.
“Welcome back,” Maddix said when she shifted her head. The weight lifted and Jayin realized that Maddix had been holding her. His muscles were pulled taut, one hand on his sword as if he expected an attack at any moment.
“You had an encounter with a very powerful witch,” Jayin said, sitting up. “A sonic. We’re underground, and there’s a whole network of caves and tunnels. There are witches here, Maddix. A whole coven of us.”
He stiffened beside her, and Jayin had to consider that the news might no
t be as good for him as it was for her.
“That explains why my head feels like it’s about to crack open,” he said, rubbing his temples.
“That’s what happens when you act like a stupid dayri,” Jayin said, forcing lightness into her voice. She could still feel where he’d held her in his arms. It was distracting.
“Act like a—” Maddix said indignantly. “I was watching your back.”
“Now you know better.”
“Next time I’ll just let you get stabbed.”
“Right and you’ll be dead within two days,” Jayin scoffed. Maddix rolled his eyes, nudging her with his shoulder.
Jayin didn’t know where this familiarity had come from, but something had changed. A barrier had been broken and Jayin wasn’t sure she disliked it. Everything was different now. With the cuff gone and with the both of them trapped in Kaddah, the things that had mattered in Aestos now seemed insignificant.
“Well, isn’t this heartwarming.” Jayin’s smile vanished at the sound of Evin’s voice.
“It’s almost enough to make me think that the war might be solved by the power of friendship.”
Jayin spat something in the Oldlands language, unsure if he’d understand, but Evin put his hand over his heart.
“That hurts.”
“Knives hurt more,” Jayin promised.
“I’d take her word for it,” Maddix put in.
“Your input, like your presence, is unwanted, dayri,” Evin said, turning his attention to Maddix. He sneered, lip curling with disgust. Jayin wanted to carve the look off of his face.
“A very special dayri, to be vouched for by one of us,” said a stately voice. The look slid off of Evin’s face and Jayin watched as he schooled his features into a respectful mask, deferring to the newcomer.
The woman was old enough to be Jayin’s mother, but carried herself like a soldier, stiff-backed and rigid. There was something in the way she held herself, something familiar.
“You did what?” Maddix grabbed Jayin’s sleeve.
“Shut up and let me handle this,” Jayin replied, her voice low so only he could hear.
“Especially,” the woman went on as if neither of them had spoken, “to be vouched for by Ayrie’s golden girl.”
Jayin’s blood went cold. They know who I am. Linji said that the witches looked out for one another, but Jayin had spent enough time in the Palace to know all about sahir politics.
She’d never been good at politics.
“So you know who I am,” Jayin said, trying to sound unruffled. “I don’t think it’s fair that I don’t know who you are.”
“Rahael,” the woman said. “I run things around here.”
“How is here possible?” Jayin asked. They hadn’t mentioned Maddix by name but that didn’t mean his identity wasn’t a chip to be cashed in later.
“See for yourself.” Rahael extended her hand, palm up.
“You don’t want me to do that,” Jayin said flatly.
“I insist.” Slowly, Jayin took the woman’s hand, preparing for the onslaught of energy that would follow. It never came. Instead, there was a fierce tug inside of her and Jayin’s legs nearly gave out.
“You’re a feeder,” Jayin murmured, snatching her hand away. Her shields disintegrated at the woman’s touch and energy from every sahir swirled in her second sight. She winced, trying to block it all out.
“Here,” Maddix said, holding her steady and looping his necklace over her head. The white stone settled on her chest and the noise went completely, blissfully silent.
“Bleeding stars,” Jayin hissed, rubbing the back of her hand over her forehead.
“Ayrie’s favorite pet nearly faints after losing a little magic?” Evin raised an eyebrow. Jayin wanted to strangle him but she thought she might pass out if she moved too quickly.
“Evin, hush,” Rahael said sharply. Now that her vision had cleared, Jayin could see that the witch woman looked a little ill herself. “That is some gift you possess.”
“I’m not sure it’s a gift at all,” Jayin said, still scrubbing at her eyes. “So you use shields to block detections and feeders to siphon magic out of the air.”
She’d managed to sort through enough of the energy to see that much. It was a good system. A brilliant system.
“How could you possibly know that?” Evin demanded.
“What’s it like being a stormwitch stuck underground?” Jayin asked, raising an eyebrow. Maddix snickered.
“Enough from both of you,” Rahael interrupted. “Evin, go. I want to have a word with our guests in private.” Evin scowled but did as he was told, shooting Jayin one last glare before slinking off.
“You really do know how to make friends,” Maddix murmured.
“Friends notwithstanding, you two are causing quite a stir. Never before have we had Aestosi join us, let alone a dayri,” Rahael said.
“I gathered,” Maddix said coldly. Jayin elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m guessing there are rules that go along with being allowed in your witchy clubhouse.”
“Just as I’m sure there were rules to be one of the sahirla,” Rahael said pointedly. “Oh, yes, I know all about you, Maddix Kell.”
Jayin’s fingers went to her throat, ready to rip off the gem and grab Maddix’s hand if she threatened either of them. Maddix reached for the sword at his hip. Rahael raised a hand, obviously noting their tension.
“Peace,” she said. “We have no ties to the Aestosi crown. You’re safe here.”
“Until you need bargaining chips,” Maddix accused. “And then what? You trade us for protection or political favors?”
“You do not know us, so I will choose not to be offended. We do not betray our own for political favors.” Rahael said the last words with particular distaste. “Our so-called queen wants us dead, down to the last, so we’ve had to band together to survive. Jayin has vouched for you, so you will also find refuge here, as long as she allows it. Besides,” the woman said with a wry smile, “if we wanted to make a trade with the Aestosi, I think the Gulwitch would do just as nicely as a convict Guard.”
“We accept your terms,” Jayin said quickly. Stars, did everyone in the Three Kingdoms know who they were?
“Then it’s settled. You will have free reign of the compound, but please do not take it upon yourselves to leave. This is not a safe place for fugitives.”
“So we’re trapped here,” Maddix said. Jayin wanted to clap her hand over his mouth. “You can call us guests all you want, but you’ve taken us prisoner.”
He must be shocked at the role reversal, Jayin thought with only a little bitterness, being captured by sahir instead of the other way around. She pushed thought away.
“You can choose to think of it that way. But we offer safety and protection so long as you remain here.”
“It’s fine,” Jayin said, shooting Maddix a meaningful look. She knew being stuck underground with a coven of witches made him twitchy, but it was someplace they could figure out their next move. It was selfish, but she was safe here, surrounded by her own people, and she could do magic without fearing for her life.
“I will have a space made up for both of you and someone will be by shortly to show you around.” Jayin nodded and Rahael let herself out.
“We need to go,” Maddix said as soon as Rahael was out of earshot. “We need to get out of here.”
“I know,” Jayin said quietly.
“It’s—what?” he said, looking surprised that she wasn’t disagreeing with him.
“We need to keep moving, but not yet,” Jayin explained. “They’ve got a safe haven and resources we can use. Just until we figure out what to do next.”
“They know who we are.”
“They know who we are,” Jayin agreed. “Because witches are gossips no matter where they come from.”
“How do we know we can trust a word they say?” Maddix demanded, refusing to back down.
“We don’t,” Jayin said. Maddix looked away from her, his e
yes clouded. A muscle jumped in his jaw. “And if it turns out that any of them mean us harm, we fight our way out.”
She didn’t think it would come to that, but as Jayin said the words, she found that she meant them.
“I can breathe here,” she said softly.
“Okay,” he said finally. “We stay.”
Jayin exhaled. “Thank you.”
“But stars, that Rahael woman looked like she was going to rap our knuckles.”
“My matron liked using her fists,” Jayin replied, still turning over their strange similarity in her mind.
Maddix opened his mouth before thinking better of it. “Who’s the Gulwitch? I’ve heard that name before,” he asked instead. Jayin blinked before remembering that Hale had mentioned her colorful Pavaalian alias back at the witchhunter’s compound.
“Me,” Jayin said haltingly. “I mean, it’s a name I went by back in the Gull.” She shrugged. “I needed a way to keep the gangs off of my back and the whole world is scared of witches. It kind of took on a life of its own.”
“You’re an urban legend,” Maddix said. He almost sounded impressed.
“An urban legend that is trapped underground.” She stood. “Might as well look around.”
“I thought the matron told us to stay put.”
Jayin smiled. “Please. You’re a wanted fugitive and I’m a deserter and the ghost that haunts the Gull. Rules do not become us.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine:
Maddix
Being in the witches’ underground compound felt like being trapped behind enemy lines. Maddix had been stripped of his sword. They said it was for his protection, in case any of the Kaddahn sahir thought that he was a threat. Jayin gave him one of her hooked knives to keep on his person, but the little weapon felt flimsy and small in his hands.
The tunnels themselves seemed to stretch for miles, and Maddix was lost more often than not. It was an endless maze of stone, some of which led nowhere or double-backed to drop him in the same spot he started in. To make things worse, the tunnels shifted every couple of hours, a ward against intruders. It was infuriating, and even after a week, Maddix still had no way to get around without Jayin by his side.