Facing the Fire

by Carol Beth Anderson

  Tavi’s eyes widened, and she let out a happy sigh. Before them, the creek fell off a ledge several feet high, the water cascading into a small pool before continuing on. Tullen had never shown her this little waterfall during the months they’d lived in the Meadow. She wondered why he’d brought her here now.

  “You like it?” he asked.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  Tullen looked down at her and smiled, and Tavi was suddenly aware of how alone they were. And how much she liked his smile. Self-consciously, she looked at the water again.

  She missed Tullen so much that her chest ached with it. It was a strange feeling to have when he was standing right there. But she missed all they’d once had. She wanted it back, more than anything.

  Her conversation with Tess returned to her.

  “Will it be worth it, just to have tried?”

  “Yes.”

  “Really? Even if you fail?”

  “Yes!”

  But there was more at stake here than a failed relationship. They were heading to face their greatest enemy. Their very lives were in danger. How could Tavi even be thinking about her feelings for Tullen when either of them might lose everything in the coming hours or days?

  “Will it be worth it, just to have tried?”

  “Tavi, is everything all right?”

  She realized her forehead was wrinkled with worry, her lips tightly pressed together. Relaxing her face, she nodded. But she couldn’t look at him.

  “Will it be worth it, just to have tried?”

  She’d said yes to Tess. But she’d said no to herself. Over and over. And no had proven profoundly unsatisfying.

  Just one touch. The thought slipped into her mind and rooted itself there. I don’t even have to say anything. One small touch will be enough.

  So she looked down, reached out, and slipped her hand next to Tullen’s, their palms together. Then she shifted hers a bit so her fingers could weave in between his. She closed her fingers and held her breath, waiting to see what he’d do. Expecting him to pull away.

  His fingers curled around hers and stayed there.

  Tavi looked up and found Tullen’s gaze waiting. His face was so serious; she couldn’t read the emotions behind his wide eyes and barely parted mouth. But when she gave him a smile, he returned it, his bearded cheeks broadening, his eyes crinkling with happy kindness.

  She looked back at the waterfall, letting the sound of it wash away her uncertainty. Her hand felt so good in his. Perfect.

  They’d been standing there a long time when Tullen murmured, “We should go back.”

  Tavi felt a sharp pang of disappointment, but she nodded, pulled her hand away, and hopped on his back.

  As they ran, trees flying by in blurs of green and brown, Tavi couldn’t stop thinking about her palm, pressed against his. Her fingers, entwined with his. She’d thought one touch would be enough.

  It wasn’t.

  Once again, the Golds journeyed in the dark.

  They lowered themselves into the tunnel one by one, using handholds and footholds Narre had formed in the rock. The freshly hewn passage wasn’t tall; they all had to crouch to walk. Some of them lit the way with magic. But as they approached the exit shaft, everything went dark. They couldn’t allow a golden glow to give them away. The only magic left in the tunnel came from Tavi’s and Tullen’s covered ears. They both confirmed they couldn’t hear anyone outside the tunnel.

  All seven Golds emerged into a wooded area. From here, their only plan was to try to find where Konner, Camalyn, and Relin were staying. They had to understand their enemies’ position before strategizing further.

  When they reached the edge of the little wood, they spotted a soldier strolling down the street toward them. According to Sanno, there were over a thousand soldiers here now. The Golds had hoped the army was so poorly run that they wouldn’t have any night guards. But apparently there was still at least a modicum of discipline here.

  The Golds withdrew further into the trees and decided only Tavi and Tullen would proceed. Tavi had the most magic to get them out of bad predicaments, and Tullen’s gifted feet could help them both escape if things got bad. The rest of the Golds retreated into the tunnel; they would wait in the forest.

  Tavi and Tullen waited until the soldier was out of sight. Then Tullen carried her across the narrow street and crouched next to a small house. Tavi tapped his ear through his knit cap. Tullen nodded. They were both listening.

  The house was mostly quiet, but they could hear even breathing. Someone was sleeping in there. They hurried from one street to the next, listening to what was happening in each building they encountered. Most non-residential buildings weren’t occupied. But all the cottages and houses held sleeping soldiers.

  They’d only seen a few patrolling soldiers, who were easy to avoid. None of the Meadow’s streetlamps worked, so the soldiers carried lanterns. Tavi and Tullen hid between buildings when they could, lying on the ground a few times when they feared being seen. The soldiers all seemed relaxed as they strolled along the streets.

  As they huddled between two buildings, waiting for a soldier farther down the street to pass, Tullen pointed at a pile of trash in the corner. “They’re ruining my home,” he murmured.

  Tavi heard the anger in his voice, and she wasn’t sure how to respond. She’d noticed the trash in the streets too. She guessed that once they saw the Meadow in full light, it would look far different than it had when they lived there. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  They made their way to a food storage center near the meeting hall. A soldier stood by the front door, his slumped posture speaking of boredom. Tavi and Tullen crept to the back of the building, then looked inside a small window. They saw row after row of sturdy shelves, but only a fraction held food. Sanno had told them about the winter food shortages in the Meadow. Apparently spring’s arrival hadn’t solved that problem.

  They continued on, and it wasn’t long before they reached a cluster of Elders’ houses near the middle of the community. These homes were larger than most others in the Meadow, and unlike the cottages the Golds had lived in, these were fenced. Tullen had predicted that this was the area where Konner, Relin, and Camalyn were most likely to stay. Tavi felt a sense of nervous satisfaction when she saw that three of the houses were heavily guarded.

  She and Tullen huddled between two shops that had once housed a butcher and a tailor. The narrow space afforded them a perfect view of the guarded homes across the street. They began listening.

  “I think there’s one person in that first house,” Tavi said, pointing. “It sounds like they’re sleeping.”

  “The house on the right?” Tullen asked. When she confirmed, he said, “I was listening to the one next to it. I think I hear two people breathing.”

  Tavi sent her magic into the third house, first picking up the sound of one sleeping person near the back. Another person slept nearby, perhaps a room or two away. She whispered her findings to Tullen as she made her way through the house.

  “I think there are two or three people in a room on the left side,” he said. “About halfway back from the front of the house.”

  Tavi directed her hearing that way, and suddenly she jumped, startled by the wail of a baby. Tullen flinched too, and they both laughed softly. “I think we found the king and queen,” he said.

  “And the little prince or princess.”

  They continued to listen, finding one more occupied room.

  “Do you think Konner is in one of the rooms?” Tavi asked.

  Tullen nodded. “I bet his magic quencher is in another, sleeping.”

  “I wonder who’s in the last one,” Tavi said. “Maybe they brought someone to help with the baby.”

  “Now we just have to get past . . . let’s see, two guards in front, two on the side. How many do you think are on the other side and the back?”

  “We should assume it’s just as many.”

  “Just eight armed, trained guards.
We could take them in our sleep,” Tullen said.

  Tavi laughed again. But the sound was abruptly cut off by a hand that slammed against her mouth and nose. Her wide eyes turned to Tullen. He was in the same position.

  Tavi felt warm breath on her neck as a voice behind her whispered, “Don’t scream.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Many sun-blessed students are calm, kind, and respectful. Others are rebellious, headstrong, and downright exasperating! As a magic teacher, I treasure the moments when decency shines from a youth who up to that point has done nothing but infuriate me.

  My lesson in all this? Never give up on a student.

  -From Training Sun-Blessed Students by Ellea Kariana

  Tavi had to force herself to follow their attacker’s instructions. Her entire chest felt like it would explode with the scream she wanted to release. But she didn’t want to attract the guards across the street. Much better to fight one person than many.

  It took perhaps a half-second for that to run through her mind, and an instant later, her fighting training took over. Her elbow swung back hard, connecting with her attacker’s gut. The person went down with a low groan, and Tavi’s mouth was free.

  She spun around, fists at the ready, then froze. “Evitt?”

  He sat up, cradling his abdomen with one arm and holding the index finger of his opposite hand to his mouth.

  “What are you doing here?” Tullen’s voice was a harsh whisper, full of suspicion.

  “I joined the army,” Evitt responded.

  “Your mother cries every day, thinking you’re dead!” Tavi hissed.

  “I had to tell them I was eighteen to join, and I knew if she found out, she’d send word . . . hey, can we find a better place to talk?”

  “We’re not following you anywhere. But you can come with us.” Tullen stood.

  “Wait, I can share my gift with both of you,” Evitt said. “I have about a quarter hour left before my magic runs out.”

  Tavi and Tullen gave each other wary looks. But with so many guards nearby, invisibility couldn’t hurt. Tavi shrugged and nodded.

  “Fine,” Tullen said.

  Evitt moved between them, and moments later, his head glowed gray and he popped out of sight. Then Tavi felt his arm around her waist.

  “I can still see myself,” Tullen whispered.

  “I can see myself, but I can’t see you,” Tavi said. “It’s how his gift works. Put your arm around his waist if you haven’t, to make sure you stay close.”

  Thus connected, they made their way toward the street, walking sideways to fit through the narrow gap between buildings.

  The trip back through the Meadow was much quicker than Tavi and Tullen’s initial walk through town. They only had to stop if someone was close enough to hear their footsteps. But before they reached the edge of the Meadow, Evitt halted next to a cottage. “I doubt I have much time left,” he said. “I’m releasing my gift to preserve the last little bit. Just in case.”

  His arm came off Tavi’s waist, and they reappeared. They dashed between buildings as before until they reached the tunnel. “How long has this been here?” Evitt asked, clearly impressed.

  “Less than a day,” Tullen replied. “Come on, let’s get to the others. Tavi, you walk in front, and I’ll take the rear. Evitt, you’ll be between us. Don’t try anything; you won’t be able to get past us in the tunnel even if you’re invisible.”

  “You can trust me,” Evitt said.

  Tullen just laughed.

  As they traversed the tunnel, all Tavi’s muscles tightened. It was partially due to her crouching posture, but mostly it was because of who walked behind her. She didn’t know what to think of Evitt. He’d helped them on Liberation Day the previous year, and she’d regained some trust in him, though she didn’t think she could ever fully trust a former Gray—especially not one who’d lied to her for months. After hearing he’d disappeared, she’d again doubted every one of his motives.

  They emerged into the forest and walked a couple of minutes to the campsite. None of the Golds were sleeping, despite the late hour. They were all shocked to see Evitt.

  Several Golds asked Evitt questions, so he told his story. How he’d infiltrated the palace and found out the Meadow might be attacked, then realized he was too late to send a message. He didn’t spend much time talking about his travels, but his tone of voice made it clear how desperate he’d been.

  When Evitt took a breath after describing his enlistment, Tullen demanded, “How did you find us tonight? Were you planning to turn us in before Tavi knocked you down?”

  “No!” Evitt insisted. “If that were the case, I would have brought other soldiers along. I only sneaked up on you and grabbed your mouths like that so you wouldn’t make any noise when you saw me.”

  “I think you could’ve approached us in a way that didn’t scare us half to death,” Tavi said. “But back to Tullen’s question: How did you find us?”

  “I need to go back a little further to explain that,” Evitt said. “I wanted to help the resistance from here, so I’ve been spying on the army leaders since I arrived. Mostly at night; that’s when they have a lot of their private conversations. One day I was hiding in Colonel Stemming’s house, and I heard him talking to a subordinate. The colonel said he didn’t like how General Talger was handling things. I don’t blame him; she’s incompetent. But that was making him question the king and queen’s wisdom, too.

  “So the next day, I visited Stemming and told him I’d been listening to him. I knew it was a risk, but I hoped we might work together to change things. Stemming used to be a safety officer, though, and he’s not the rebellious type. I thought he might turn me in for treason, just for suggesting we work together. But he finally agreed that I should keep listening to General Talger and start reporting back to him. If things get bad enough, he may be willing to work against her.”

  “Is that what you were doing tonight when you found Tavi and Tullen?” Narre asked. “Spying?”

  “I was about to. When Konner, Camalyn, and Relin got here a couple of days ago, I tried to get into their house to spy on them. I was walking around, looking for a way in. But my gift stopped working when I touched their house. The guard was facing away from me, and I thought for sure he was about to turn and catch me. But I pulled my hand away, and I could feel my gift come back. I walked around the house and tested it again when no one was looking. The same thing happened. As soon as I touch the house, I’m not invisible anymore.”

  Sanno explained the magic quencher’s gift and why Evitt’s magic hadn’t worked.

  “So what were you doing tonight?” Tavi asked.

  “I was trying again. Last time I was there, it wasn’t very late. I hoped there would be fewer guards in the middle of the night. For all I knew, once I got inside, my magic might work again. But there were just as many guards. So I was walking along the street, watching the house, hoping some of the guards would take a break. I was walking by the tailor and butcher shops when I heard someone whispering. I’ve never found anyone else sneaking around at night. I thought maybe I’d overhear something important. So I got closer and realized it was you.”

  “We weren’t that loud,” Tavi said.

  “You were louder than you think,” Evitt replied.

  Tullen gave an embarrassed smile. “We didn’t think anyone was around.”

  “Evitt,” Ash said, “Do you think this colonel you mentioned might help us?”

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Evitt said. “Most of you are criminals. Colonel Stemming would be as likely to turn you in as help you.”

  “Then we’ll have to do this alone,” Sall said.

  Narre grinned. “But now we have someone who can make us invisible.”

  “I’m glad I can help.” Evitt paused, then said, “I hate to be rude, but do you . . . do you have anything to eat?”

  When they gave him some dried meat and an apple, Evitt ate it so fast, Tavi feared he’d choke. She note
d his protruding cheekbones and thin neck. He’d been starving, just like the rest of the army. And he’d done it so he could help the resistance.

  When he finished eating, Evitt looked up. His eyes met Tavi’s. She gave him a small smile. She wasn’t sure if she liked him. But she thought she could trust him again.

  Their strategy came together in minutes, but then they had to wait. Evitt’s gift was crucial, and he’d used up nearly all his magic earlier. He said it would take another hour and a half to be back to full strength. Tullen tried to remain patient, but it was hard. Evitt’s magical tolerance left much to be desired.

  So they discussed their roles and their plan, considering what they might do if anything went wrong. They were each assigned to one of two teams. The members of the primary team all had specific roles, mostly based on their magical abilities. The secondary team would remain hidden, helping only if necessary.

  Sall was a member of the primary team, but he was the only one who didn’t plan to use magic. He was uncharacteristically giddy as he prepared for his role. He even had a costume, the army uniform Deam had given them after arriving at the monastery as a deserter. The pants and sleeves were a little long, but they’d do well enough.

  There were still hours of darkness ahead when the Golds, including Evitt, walked back through the tunnel. The streets were even more deserted than they’d been before. Tullen wondered if some of the soldiers they’d seen earlier had simply been wandering the streets after their late-night activities.

  They reached the alley behind the tailor shop across from the Elders’ homes. Evitt had told them the shop was unused. Hands glowing, Narre broke the bolt holding the shop’s back door closed. They all went inside.

  “Ready?” Evitt asked Narre.

  She nodded, looking nervous, and put her arm around Evitt’s waist. Evitt’s head began to glow gray, and then he and Narre both disappeared. Tullen would never get used to seeing that—or, rather, not seeing it.