Arlo grinned in return. He had raised the boy well. “There's a good lad. The one who stayed behind is dead, too. I ran into him on my way to you.”
“Why are you here, Arlo? It's not that I'm not glad to see you, but I don't understand why you came.”
Arlo shrugged. “There's a war going on, isn't there? I thought you could use my help.”
“There is now.” Cale said. “You timed your arrival well, old friend.”
“So it seems. We need to get back to Rachael. I'm worried the lass is going to do something stupid.” Rachael was not naïve or fairy-brained by any means, but she was a fiery one. He was worried she had grown bored of waiting and had gone to find Cale herself.
“Wait, Arlo, before we go—I heard explosions lower in the city. Did you see what happened?”
Arlo grunted, preparing himself for Cale's reaction. “Aeron happened, lad. I'm sure she's behind this.”
The lad's face had gone as pale as the coldest winter's snow. “And you left her alone?” Cale often got angry. It was a trait born during his time as leader of the Sparrows. The boy had seen much, and had grown resentful over time. Usually he did not show his irritation, however. He had learned to keep it hidden, and only showed his true anger when he could not contain it.
Now was such a moment, it seemed. “She's safe where she is, lad. Aeron won't find her where I left her.”
“And if Rachael didn't want to wait for us? If she followed us?”
“That's precisely why we should hurry back.”
As one they started running, Cale following his lead back to where Rachael was waiting for them.
“One thing still doesn't make sense.”
“What's that, lad?”
“I can believe that Aeron is behind these attacks, I suspected as much, but why would she strike now? Why not a week ago, or a week later?”
Arlo had asked himself that very question since leaving Rachael alone. There were only two options he could think of, both equally worrying.
“Could just be she's hateful like that, lad. If Aeron wants to destroy a city, she will destroy a city. You know what Mist Women are like, acting on passing fancies no matter how many people get hurt.”
“But you don't believe that's what happened here. It would be too much of a coincidence.”
Their trip back down into the city was faster than his trip up had been. Downhill was always easier, especially when you were running, and the few Guards who stood in their way were no match for both of them together.
“Aye, lad. I don't believe that's what happened here. I believe Aeron's had her claws around the King's neck for longer than that.” He didn't need to see Cale's face to know he had gone a dangerous shade of white. He shared the lad's concern at the grim implications.
“You mean the suicides...” Arlo nodded. “Then everything we feared was true. Aeron is behind all this.”
Cale cursed under his breath. Unlike Arlo he didn't swear often. Arlo knew the lad's feelings by that alone.
“We have to find her, Arlo. She's responsible for Ailis.”
Grunting his approval, he led Cale back on to the narrow side road. No words were needed when they reached the hiding place. He felt Cale's accusing glare without needing to see it.
Rachael didn't know where she was going other than that she needed to head up. Once she was closer to the palace she hoped it would be more obvious. For now she followed King's Road, hoping it was a reference to the other end of the cobblestones under her feet.
Two more explosions had shaken the city since the second. Pillars of smoke had turned the sky a dark grey. The screams of injured and scared people still reached her ears even now, although she had put a good distance between her and the market. The fire was spreading, devouring wood and hard stone alike. Rachael knew only one person who could make it burn with such ferocity, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Aeron was capable of the same magic, and hateful enough to destroy a city.
Her eyes stinging from the ash in the air, she moved into a small square to blink the pain away and to plan her next steps. Reaching the palace would be easy compared to what she needed to do once she got there. The Guard could have taken Cale anywhere—King Aeric was only one of many possibilities. Maybe the king was already done with him, and he was being taken to the prison right now. Maybe they'd already—
Rachael shook her head. She would not allow herself to think like that. Cale was fine, still alive, and hopefully even uninjured. Her blade had seen its first blood since she had left her small hiding place. It would cut down more guards, too, if she needed it to. Thanks to Cale's patience she had wielded her sword well. Only one guard had managed to injure her—a small cut on her thigh throbbed relentlessly, but it had to wait. She didn't have time to stop and bandage the wound. First she needed to find Cale.
With fresh determination Rachael set out towards the palace, and only dodged the blazing ball of fire by luck.
She readied her weapon as she searched the square around her.
“That won't help you. Nothing will.” Another ball of fire, this time larger and easier to spot than the first, sizzled through the air towards her. Rachael dodged it, her heart aching for that voice—for the truth she couldn't ignore any longer.
It hadn't been a nightmare. Her dream of Cephy crowding her in a small space, set on killing her, had been an all too real vision, and it was unfolding now with her defenceless against Cephy's gift.
Another ball of fire sped past her and flew into the house behind her. Lamp oil ignited. The explosion threw her into the air for a brief moment before she hit the ground hard, and the wound the guard had given her before burst open. The piercing pain made her scream.
“Stop it, Cephy!”
The next angry fireball came close enough to heat her cheek and singe her hair.
“No! I'm not here to talk!”
She had to try, at least. She had to try to talk Cephy out of this, even if the girl didn't want to listen right now. Somehow, she had to make her care enough to stop her furious attacks.
Sword raised, Rachael prepared herself for an impossible-to-win battle.
“Why are you doing this?”
Above her a small explosion ripped through stone, bringing down the arch connecting the two houses to her sides into a large, fiery pile.
“You're trapped now. You're not going anywhere until I'm done!” It didn't make sense. This was not the Cephy she knew.
“Stop it! I'm not your enemy, Cephy, stop the attack!”
Cephy's hands themselves fists of fire, she looked like a vengeful spirit come to claim her.
“You're lying! Aeron showed me how you and Cale made plans to get rid of me! I saw you agreeing to kill me! She said you would betray me and she was right!”
Aeron. So Cale had been right. Cephy really had run to Aeron that night. Or had Aeron found her, while Cephy had been on her way somewhere else? It didn't matter now. All that mattered was the girl's intent to kill her, and her ability to accomplish just that without Rachael standing even a small chance.
What a right mess this was. Rachael couldn't begin to imagine how Cephy had overheard their conversation, but she clearly hadn't heard all of it.
“I only agreed if you tried to kill me! I would never attack you without reason.”
Something inside Cephy halted, paused to think.
The lies Aeron had fed her burned hotter.
“Lies!”
Rachael saw the flame too late. She only dodged in time for it not to burn her skin, but it caught the length of her sword which heated through and singed her hand. Her fingers burning from the hot metal, Rachael dropped the blade.
A ring of fire spread around her, trapping Rachael inside. There was no way for her to escape, but she had to try. She had to get to Cephy somehow. If she touched the flames she would burn to ashes, she was sure of it. Cale was nowhere to be seen, and Arlo was likely still searching for him elsewhere. It was just her and the hungry flames, desperat
e to get a taste of her flesh.
“How does it feel to be helpless?”
“Cephy, stop this! This is madness, Aeron is lying to you!”
“Aeron is the only one willing to do something! You know what it's like to grow up with magic! Aeron would fix everything, so that people like us can rule and the people who hated us suffer! People like my father, Rachael, who threw me into the road like trash!”
“Aeron would kill everyone, Cephy! I don't know what she's after but it's not a bright future for people like us!”
“You don't know what she wants! You don't know her!”
“And you do? She's lied to you! She's behind all these suicides!” Even through her prison of starving flames Rachael could see the girl's resolve crumble. Aeron had gotten to her, but somewhere underneath was still the Cephy she knew. She just had to keep trying.
“No. You're lying.” The girl stood still, barely moving at all as the dancing fire cast long shadows over her small body.
“I'm not.” She hoped Arlo was right in his suspicion. “Let me out, we can talk.”
Any doubt Cephy had had was gone in an instant. “No! I still heard you! You admitted you were willing to kill me!”
“No more than you are ready to kill me now. I saw you pause, Cephy—you don't really want to do this!”
Around her the flames licked ever higher.
“If we don't stop this nothing will change.” Rachael's heart sank as she realised that by 'we' Cephy meant herself and Aeron. “I'm done being hated for who I am. I don't want to—” Cephy stopped, the cage of hungry flames around her dropped to her waist. At first Rachael wasn't sure what she was seeing, but then the reality of it sank in.
Behind Cephy was Arlo, his sword had run her through clean. No gasp escaped the girl's lips, no protests to her situation as her eyes clouded over and their spark darkened.
“No!” The ring of fire around her dwindled fast until it was nothing but a weak flicker around her ankles. Rachael jumped over the remains. “What did you—”
With a sickening sound Arlo withdrew the blade from Cephy's body, letting her fall to the ground. Rachael caught her just in time.
“What you wouldn't. She would have killed you, Rachael. I can't let that happen.”
Everything around her blurred into one big mess. The only thing she could see clearly she didn't want to, but she couldn't leave Cephy alone like this, either. She already thought that Rachael had betrayed her. Rachael didn't want to give her any more reason to think so.
“I'm sorry.” How had this happened? She could have talked Cephy down. Things could have been as they had been before—just the two of them, living away from the rest of civilisation, away from hateful stares. “I'm so sorry, Cephy, don't die.” She had always known that sooner or later, the girl would leave her. She had never imagined it would be like this.
Cephy's lips twitched, but no sound escaped.
“I'm here. Take your time, Cephy, I'm here.” She knew the plea was pointless. Arlo knew what he was doing with any weapon. Cephy didn't have much time, but what else could she say?
“I—” Rachael smiled through the fog which was clouding her eyes, encouraging Cephy to continue. “I'm sorry. I fai—” With one last strained breath, Cephy's eyes lost the last of their light and the girl went limp in her arms.
Rachael hated herself. This was her fault. To think that Cephy's last words would be an apology to Aeron made her feel sick. The Mist woman wouldn't care that Cephy was gone. Where had she gone so wrong? Her core ached for the way things had been, before Aeron. Before Cale, and Arlo and Ailis.
“Rachael.” Her head spun around to accuse Arlo, but all the fight had drained out of her.
“What do you want.”
“I know you're mad, but we need to keep moving. We need to get to King Aeric.”
“Kill your King yourself. I'm staying with her.”
“And risk Aeron finding you? No, lass, you're coming with me. Cale will be glad to see you alive.”
Rachael scoffed in response. This was as much his fault as it was hers. Ailis', too, but his sister wasn't near enough for her to accuse her. If they had spent more time teaching Cephy she wouldn't have run to Aeron. If they had spent more time with her, Cephy wouldn't lie dead at her feet.
Gently, Rachael kissed Cephy's forehead goodbye and carefully placed her down on the ground. Later, when this was over, she would come back and bury her. Right now she wanted answers. Someone needed to pay for what had happened.
“Where is he?”
His face a mask of grim acceptance, Arlo nodded. “Follow me, lass.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Cale had taught Kiana a few tricks about tracking someone inside the woods. She had thought herself a good student, but there was nothing to be found in this forest. Not long ago she had come across a dead guard and footsteps leading back to the house, but there was no sign of Cale or a struggle. He wouldn't have gone down without a fight. He was too good, too proud, for that. The foot prints she had found were too large to be his—whomever they belonged to wasn't there any more. Whatever had killed the guard was long gone. Cale hadn't been this far into the forest recently, she was sure of it.
A bad feeling had risen in her stomach when her search had turned up empty, but she couldn't figure out why. It was almost like Ailis had lied to her, but why would she do that? She loved her brother more than anything in this world. He and Rachael had been taken by the White Guard, she believed that much, but why would Ailis lie about where they had gone? She would want her brother saved as soon as possible. There was no reason to send her on a cold trail.
Unless Ailis had good reason to lie. Oren hadn't found anyone inside the cabin, and they had no basement. Could a guard have hidden behind the house, waiting for them to leave? It did seem strange to her that they had taken Cale and Rachael but had tied up Ailis and left her there.
Kiana frowned. Something wasn't right. She should have stayed with Ailis, not sped out chasing ghosts. Cale had made her his second in command because he trusted her and knew that she was smart enough to lead them well. That she hadn't questioned Ailis more first wasn't acceptable.
But there hadn't been time. Ailis was alive, whereas Cale and Rachael were on their way to their deaths. Had Cale not taught her that rescuing someone took priority? That saving the innocent always came first? Ailis was already safe. It was him and Rachael they had to go after now—they were the priority.
Kiana ran to get back to the cabin and talk to Ailis. She knew something, and Kiana needed to know everything if she were going to get to Cale and Rachael in time.
“Ailis? I'm back! I—” Her breath caught in her throat as her blood ran cold and her stomach churned. Kiana had seen many people die since becoming a Sparrow. Some of them had been tortured for days, others had died of horrific injuries. None had ever made her feel the way this did.
In the middle of the kitchen lay Ailis, her throat cut and a warm puddle of blood spreading across the room.
And she'd allowed it to happen, by walking away.
Amidst the ruins of someone's house, Aeron stopped mid-spell. She had placed wards around and inside of Cephy, so if the girl died she would know.
So her Fox was dead. It was unfortunate, but of no real importance. Rachael would be weakened, saddened by the loss. It would make her all that much easier to kill once Aeron found her. If only the stupid brat weren't so good at hiding.
Aeron had turned half of the White City upside down already trying to find that damned Sparrow. She had hoped that her Fox at least had found her, but now it seemed that no longer mattered. Of course, there was a chance that Cephy had killed Rachael before she had died, but Aeron's gut feeling told her that the bitch still lived—while her Fox lay slain without having done as she had asked.
Oh, how they would pay for this! Rachael would suffer before Aeron was done with her. Her screams would slice through the night and make anyone think twice about crossing her.
&n
bsp; Not long ago there had been several explosions from higher up—near the King's Road, if Aeron knew this city well. Rachael and Cephy must have met there.
Shaking with anticipation of the torture she was about to unleash on the girl—and that blasted Cale, too, if there was time—Aeron stepped off the pile of useless rubble she had used as a platform, and began walking towards King's Road.
“I won't let you lay a finger on her.” Aeron froze. That voice! Oh, how she hated that voice!
Seething with anger, she turned around to face her.
“What are you doing here?” Her words spat like venom, and she could only hope that they would have the same effect on that creature standing before her, too.
“Is that how you greet an old friend?” She was as striking and as treacherous as ever, her Midokan accent thick on her tongue.
“Friends?” Aeron regained some of her composure. “Why, here I was seeing you as an enemy instead. How foolish of me.”
“Foolish indeed, Aeron. If you had joined us you would not be taking your last breaths now.” The nerve! The insolence! How dare she believe that she could kill Aeron! Nothing could kill Aeron. She did not have time for this. She would teach her old friend a lesson, and leave before her ghost could come to plague her even in death.
“I do apologise, Kaida. I can't stay, I have a bird to kill.” With all her might she threw most of her magical power at the smug abomination standing before her. She would need some for Rachael but it did not matter. She had thrown enough at Kaida to burn down another three cities.
With a sad smile, Kaida dismissed all her hatred without as much as a wave of her hand, leaving Aeron to seethe with rage as hot as her Fox's fire. The nerve!
“That is why I'm here. I won't allow you to lay a finger on her, lest you've forgotten already.”
“And how do you propose you do that? I am the most powerful Mist Woman alive! Has this news not reached the South?” Her spell before must have missed. She was surprised to see Kaida here, now of all times. Her focus had wavered in the wrong moment, and the spell had missed. Had it hit as Aeron had intended the cursed woman would not be standing any more. There would be no evidence of her existence left, had her spell hit.
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