by Lori M. Lee
“It’s complicated,” I said.
He didn’t seem appeased by this, but he said nothing more. I parked my scout in its usual place across from the stables. It looked lonely there without the others.
“My soldiers have been briefed for the attack,” Emryn said as he dismounted and handed the reins to a waiting servant. “We’ll be ready as well.”
We entered the citadel, and I waved good-bye. I had no idea where he slept, but it wasn’t in the same wing that I did.
“Kai,” he said as I was turning away. Something in his voice sharpened my senses. He reached out and took my hand. I stiffened. What was he doing? “I need to thank you. Not as Kahl of Lanathrill or on behalf of my people, but as a man who has lost too much.”
His words caught me off guard. I’d never have believed Emryn was even capable of uttering them. “You should thank the army resting outside the city.”
“I will. But they wouldn’t be here without your help.” He lowered his gaze, scratching at his beard and seeming uncomfortable with his display of emotion. “My father’s greatest wish was to restore glory and prominence to Lanathrill. But a riding accident ended all of that.” Pain flickered over his face, and then it was gone. “That’s no way for a Kahl to die. I have spent my life trying to complete his work. When the chimera grew into a threat I couldn’t overcome, I believed I had failed.” His fingers tightened around mine. “You’ve given me hope again. So thank you. With all my heart, thank you.”
“Lanathrill will be safe again,” I said. “I just wish we’d been able to help sooner.”
He dusted his lips over my knuckles and then released my hand, his brief moment of vulnerability apparently over. When he looked at me again, it was with cool green eyes and the composed face of a Kahl. He turned and disappeared into the many corridors of the citadel.
CHAPTER 25
THE NIGHT BEFORE our planned attack, nightmares kept startling me awake. My subconscious tended to leave me be after the first nightmare. They weren’t usually so persistent.
I had hoped they’d gone away after those far more pleasant dreams, but that seemed not to be the case. Maybe it wasn’t just nerves. Maybe it was anticipation to get this over with so I could go back to Reev. And Avan. I rose well before dawn and spent an hour perusing the citadel’s library for a book to occupy my mind before I gave up. I tried the war room again, just on a whim, but the door was locked. Emryn must have found the broken lock on his drawer. He hadn’t confronted me about it the other night, which I hoped meant he didn’t suspect me.
I wished I’d gotten a better look at the papers with the foreign language. I could have jotted down a few lines if I’d had the time. Maybe one of the hollows would have been able to identify the language of the Infinite.
I returned to my room and curled up on my armchair, watching the mist rise from the burning falls. I never thought I’d miss the ever-present sheet of yellow clouds that blanketed the sky in Ninurta. While the glimmer glass and the flowering roots that trawled the mountain walls were undeniably beautiful, there was something to be said for the open air, the wind, and the light of the sun, even if we couldn’t see it.
Closing my eyes, I imagined myself back in Irra’s courtyard with Avan on the first Day of Sun, watching light break from behind the clouds for the first time in a year. My hand reached out. I could almost feel Avan’s fingers close around mine, the warmth of the emerging sun on my face.
I opened my eyes, and the illusion broke. I was back in my room in Vethe, and Avan was well beyond my reach. Swallowing thickly, I scrubbed my palms over my face and then went to wash up properly. It was going to be a long day.
I had breakfast alone since the others had chosen to remain in the hollows’ camp. Their resting army had been quite the topic of interest yesterday. The hollows had been good-natured about the curious citizens who’d emerged from the mountain to see them. Most of the citizens, children and adults alike, had lingered around the gargoyle pen in fear and fascination. Fortunately, the gargoyles were well behaved, and aside from poking their heads out of their pen to get a look at their gawkers, they minded their own business.
When I stepped out into the courtyard, it was buzzing with activity. Servants were readying horses. Men and women were strapping on armor and sharpening swords. Their metal shields were fastened to the backs of their saddles. I hoped the shields were sturdy enough to withstand chimera claws.
Emryn had decided that only three hundred of his soldiers would participate in the attack, only half of the force currently in Vethe and less than a fourth of Lanathrill’s full army. A thousand soldiers were stationed to the east, engaged in the ongoing “conflict” with Peshtigo, while the rest were spread out at guard posts along Lanathrill’s considerable borders.
Three hundred would be more than enough. We didn’t know how many chimera were in that nest, but I doubted there were enough to overpower a hundred hollows and a couple dozen gargoyles. Or at least I hoped. These chimera were more aggressive than the gargoyles, and more intimidating in size and build. But the hollows had experience fighting giant lizards, and if anyone could defeat the beasts, it would be them.
I hopped on my scout and searched the courtyard for Emryn. He was near the gates, already mounted and in full armor, barking orders. Amusement tugged at the corners of my mouth at the reminder of our first meeting, when I’d thought he was a pompous jerk. He was still a pompous jerk, but a much more complicated and compassionate one than I’d originally expected.
I approached him, guiding my scout around the bustle of soldiers and servants. “I’m going ahead,” I said. “I’ll meet you at the hollows’ camp.”
“We’ll be down in ten minutes.”
I rode past him and out the gates, urging my scout into a run as we raced through the city. We charged over the stone, the warm air blowing my hair behind me as we wove around the few carriages on the street. It was still early, but the servants who were already up and about gasped as we flew by in a blur of silver.
The soldiers standing guard at the tunnel shouted and scrambled out of the way as I burst past them, laughing like a maniac. We sprinted the entire way down to the camp.
The tents were gone and the campfires doused. My scout loped through the trees until I found the army lined up on their Grays in neat rows of four. The gargoyles obediently flanked either end of their formation. I rode ahead until I saw Jain at the front.
“About time,” she shouted, grinning. “Where’s everyone else?”
“On their way,” I said. I headed over to where Mason and the sentinels were lined up on their scouts.
“Ready to finish this thing?” Mason asked. He looked excited, his eyes brighter than I’d seen since we arrived over a week ago. Since before we left Ninurta, actually. He must have really missed being surrounded by hollows, the people he’d come to accept as his makeshift family.
“More than ready.” I had come here believing the distance might help me deal with everything happening in Ninurta: Avan, the rebel attacks, my uncertainty about Reev and where we fit into everything now that our old lives were gone. But now I knew without a doubt that I belonged wherever Reev was. Even though I ached with missing Avan, I would accept whatever decision he’d made in my absence, and then I would take my place as Miraya’s adviser and help fix the upheaval that I had wrought.
A low rumble like approaching thunder sounded through the ranks as Emryn’s army descended from the mountain. Jain shouted something I couldn’t make out. Then she turned, urging her Gray forward. One by one, each of the lines followed, marching down the Silver Road.
With only a third of Emryn’s soldiers on horseback and the rest on foot, the Fields of Ishta took three times as long to reach. The march was a monotonous one. Because we didn’t want to alert the chimera of our arrival, we slowed even more once we drew closer to the Fields.
I circled around the hollow army to signal Emryn. He gestured wordlessly to his own ranks. They divided into two lines, thre
ading through the trees and circling the Fields on either side. The soldiers on horseback formed the first layer of the perimeter. Those on foot formed a second layer behind them. They left a single opening, the only escape route we would allow the chimera, which would lead them southwest into the Outlands.
The hollows spread across the Fields on their Grays, silent as the wind through the tall grass. Two men brought forward a bellows and a drumlike device. Leather had been stretched across the top, but instead of a solid piece of hide, holes pierced the covering. Inside, chicken feathers and coal filled the device. The men followed me, Gret, and Winnifer across the Fields toward where we’d first discovered the nest.
Sure enough, tall mounds and a series of fresh tracks indicated that the chimera were still here. Gret and Winnifer slipped into the surrounding trees to investigate, their footsteps falling soundlessly against the earth. A moment later, Winnifer’s hand shot up in the air, waving wildly. She’d found the opening.
Emryn’s men opened a trapdoor in the side of the device. One of them struck a flint, setting the contents on fire, before snapping the door shut. Tendrils of smoke began to leak from the holes in the leather covering. The hollows took over, carrying the bellows and the device over to Winnifer. I slipped around the nearest mound to see what they were doing. The entrance into the nest was huge and impossible to miss from the right angle. They had set the device about ten feet inside. At the back of the device was another hole, in which Gret inserted the bellows.
Everyone backed away as Gret tied a handkerchief around her nose and mouth to protect her from the fumes. Then she took hold of the bellows and pumped. Acrid white smoke began billowing from the openings in the leather, filling the entrance and seeping into the tunnel. The smoke smelled terrible and began to clog my throat. We had to retreat back into the Fields. Emryn had explained that something in the chicken feathers released a poisonous chemical when burned in large quantities.
When the device was producing enough smoke on its own, Gret tossed down the bellows and joined Winnifer and the others in the Fields.
It took only minutes longer for the smoke to penetrate the nest. My fingers tightened around the handle of my torch blade as muffled grunts and roars echoed out from the tunnel. There was the rumble of shifting earth as the chimera began to emerge.
Jain made a quick motion with her hand. The hollows strung their bows. With another silent command, they drew back their arrows.
The first few chimera burst from the nest. My stomach clenched. I was far enough to the side that I wouldn’t get caught in the battle, but nerves flitted around my stomach anyway. Jain allowed the chimera to clear the entrance of the nest before cutting her hand through the air. The hollows released their arrows.
The chimera screamed as the steel tips pierced their thick hides. One of them spasmed and fell, its giant claws scuffling through the dirt in pain and confusion before another arrow struck its chest and it went still. The hollows were fast, nocking arrow after arrow and bringing the creatures down in relentless waves.
They had taken out a good dozen before the earth erupted around the mounds. The alarm of our attack must have spread through the pack. Chimera flooded out from underground to escape the suffocating smoke and to avoid being picked off from their single entrance. They swarmed into the tall grass of the Fields. They were on the offensive now, charging for the archers. The hollows dropped their bows and unsheathed their torch blades. Those lying in wait behind them did the same, and their battle cries rent the air as they stormed the oncoming chimera.
I looked at Mason and Aylis, who’d offered to fight at my back and protect one another. We all nodded in unison and jumped into the melee. A chimera leaped at Mason. Aylis and I intercepted, slashing at its legs. It stumbled with a roar, its gaping jaws snapping in rage. Mason ducked its thrashing claws and sank his blade into the creature’s chest. Its body gave a final tremor. We moved on.
Even though the fight was going as planned, my mind couldn’t help seeking out the threads. For the briefest of moments, I thought I felt the brush of magic. My breath hitched, and I nearly forgot to dodge an oncoming chimera. But it didn’t happen again, and I pushed away the disappointment, irritated with myself for not focusing more fully on protecting my comrades’ backs.
After we brought down another chimera, I observed the battle for a second, seeing the vicious slice of torch blades, and a strange feeling settled in my chest. It wasn’t a sense of victory or satisfaction for what we were accomplishing here.
The cries of the chimera echoed through the Fields of Ishta, their heavy bodies flattening the grass—grass that had grown wild from the earth with its remnants of magic and memories, now stained with the blood of these creatures as surely as it had been stained by the soldiers who had fought here once before.
Some of the chimera escaped. They hissed and snarled as Emryn’s soldiers hacked at them to get them moving in the right direction. They saw their escape and ran for it, their powerful legs carrying them away from the Fields and into the rocky hills that would take them to safety.
I hadn’t thought—hadn’t even considered—what it would feel like to watch these creatures be slaughtered. To participate in the slaughter. The chimera had killed many innocent people, and they had to be driven from Lanathrill. But for centuries, they had existed as slaves, bound by the power of Ninu’s collars. Now, having finally tasted freedom, to be hunted down and killed for simply being what they were . . .
I lowered my torch blade, gazing across the Fields and the bodies that lay scattered through the trampled grass. There must have been nearly five dozen chimera in that nest, the evidence of their numbers lying in the blood-drenched earth. Pain lanced through me as I spied the bodies of hollows and soldiers who hadn’t been able to avoid the deadly claws and teeth.
The grim set of Mason’s mouth and the haunted look in his eyes meant that he, too, realized the injustice of what we’d done. I looked at my stained torch blade in disgust. Blood had dripped down the blade to slide into the crevices of my clenched fingers.
Ninu’s dead eyes flashed in my mind, and I dropped the weapon. I struggled to breathe as I wiped my sticky fingers frantically against my tunic.
Mason’s hands grabbed mine, stilling them. I struggled, but he pulled me against his chest. His heart beat strong and steady beneath my cheek.
“It’s okay,” Mason murmured. His hands cupped my face. “It’s okay.”
With deep, calming breaths, I nodded and stepped out of his embrace.
The last of the chimera were making their escape. I watched them go. Hopefully, they wouldn’t return, so that this would never have to happen again.
Emryn’s soldiers didn’t share my remorse. The moment the last chimera cleared the Fields, their cheers erupted from the trees. They rode out into the open, whistling and shouting as their fists punched the air, victorious. Emryn was smiling as he stabbed the point of his bloodied sword into the earth. Dirt spattered his face and hair, and he had a gash across his upper arm, but he looked otherwise unharmed. I couldn’t fault him for being happy. These creatures had stolen his family and many of his people. He was glad to see them dead and gone.
I looked at Mason. “Let’s get out of here,” I said.
He opened his mouth and then hesitated. He tilted his head, listening. A sound had risen above the cheers of Emryn’s soldiers, high and lilting. The volume grew until I realized what it was: singing.
I spun around, looking for the source. Some nameless power reached inside and gripped me. I gasped, my back arching as pain split my skull. I closed my eyes and pressed my palms against my temples. No! I pushed at the power grasping me, shaking it off until I felt its hold slip and fall away.
My knees gave out and I fell. But I was whole again. Opening my eyes, I looked around, standing clumsily.
All across the Fields, the hollows had fallen where they stood. Mason lay at my feet.
CHAPTER 26
I PRESSED MY ear to Mason�
�s chest. His heart beat steadily. I could breathe again.
Brushing sandy hair from his forehead, I leaned close, searching his face for some sign of consciousness. I gripped his shoulders and shook him. “Mason!”
The singing continued, a haunting tune that prickled my skin with magic. It was everywhere and nowhere, impossible to track. Emryn’s soldiers, who were curiously unaffected, had dismounted from their horses. They spread out across the Fields, surveying the unconscious hollows and sentinels. The gargoyles had begun huddling together, their frills standing at attention. They backed into a circle, hissing at the approaching men and women. Then one of them threw back its head, released a long, earsplitting cry, and leaped onto the nearest soldier. Its teeth sank into the man’s neck, shredding through skin and bone with a brutal shake.
What the drek? I gathered Mason close, cradling his upper body as if I could protect him from the gargoyles’ sudden change. I began to call out, to warn Emryn’s soldiers away, but my voice caught when the soldiers raised their swords.
One man positioned himself above a fallen hollow. He drove his sword downward.
I opened my mouth to scream, but like in my nightmares, nothing came out. I hauled Mason closer and watched, immobile with horror, as the other soldiers followed suit. They targeted any hollow who lay helpless. Their swords sang a grisly chorus to the voice that continued to spin its magic.
A few feet away, Jain lay on her side, her legs twisted beneath her from an awkward fall. A soldier grunted as he pushed aside a chimera’s tail to reach her. He raised his spear above Jain’s chest.
With a cry, I launched myself at him, plowing into his legs. We landed in a tumble of limbs. I kicked away and rolled to my feet. The soldier stood as well, recovering quickly. When he looked at me, his upper lip curled back into a snarl. The veins in his forehead bulged, and the tendons in his neck were raised, taut. His eyes were bloodshot, pupils dilated, and his face contorted with fury.