Balestone

by Toby Neighbors

  “We have to move,” Lexi told the horses.

  The graypees were still several miles away, but they were heading in Lexi’s direction, and she was wasn’t about to take any chances. After quickly saddling the horses and loading their supplies onto the mounts, she tied their reins together so that the horses would walk single-file. She considered leading the horse into the stream so that the water might hide their scent, but then she realized that she had been all around the area collecting firewood. The graypees would find them, and the horses might crack a hoof on the stones of the stream bed. She led them further up into the hills, taking the most direct route possible. She had a flaming torch in one hand, and Dancer circled high over head.

  It didn’t take long to reach the cleft, and she led the horses up the narrow trail, then untied their reins. The hillside around the cleft was steep, but if the horses had to escape, they might survive the descent, and she didn’t want them tied together if the worst happened. Lexi had lined the edge of the cleft with firewood that she could light to hold off any animal, and once she had the horses settled, she moved more wood onto the trail. Nothing could reach them now, and if something tried, she would light the firewood and pray that the animals’ natural fear of fire would scare them away.

  It was not the greatest of plans, but surely Tiberius and Rafe would be back from the mountain soon. All she needed to do was stay alive until they returned. Dancer fluttered back down, and Lexi hid the torch, letting it continue to burn in case she needed the fire to ignite her barricade. They watched the dark valley below them. Dancer kept the connection with Lexi, so all she had to do was close her eyes to see in the darkness. The valley was still and empty. Hours passed, and eventually Lexi fell asleep. It was dawn when Dancer chattered in her ear.

  Lexi sat up, rubbing her eyes and listening. She heard a rock fall, and she knew the graypees were close. Dancer trilled mournfully.

  “Maybe it’s Tiberius,” Lexi said, trying to remain positive, but she was almost certain it wasn’t him.

  Dancer’s eyes looked sad, and Lexi couldn’t help but wonder what the little creature knew that she didn’t. Lexi picked up a long stick she’d found. It was sturdy, not very straight, but usable for her purpose. Using her Wangorian dagger, Lexi whittled down the end of the stick into a sharp point. She still had the long spears, but they were heavy and hard for her to manage. She felt like the spears would be more of a hindrance than help when it came to holding off the graypees. Lexi had no illusions about her makeshift weapon. It would never penetrate the incredibly tough graypee hide, but she determined that she would shove it down any creature’s throat that tried to eat her or Dancer.

  When the first graypee came into view, Lexi felt a knot form in her stomach, and her head began to buzz. Dancer wanted to flee. Lexi guessed that she could take one of the horses and ride hard, hoping to outpace the ravenous animals. She remembered being attacked on the wagon on the night she had gone to get water for the ailing Hoskali tribe. The horses had run hard, but so had the pack of animals chasing them. Lexi could hope that by leaving three horses behind, the graypees would take the easy meal and leave her alone, but she doubted that rational thought played much of a role in the lizard-like graypees’ lives.

  “We can’t run,” Lexi whispered. “But you shouldn’t stay.”

  Lexi stood up and took Dancer in both hands, holding the little animal as its furry tail wrapped around her wrist.

  “If I don’t make it,” she said softly, “you find Tiberius and tell him what happened to me, okay?”

  Dancer trilled sadly, and Lexi felt tears stinging her eyes. She held the little animal close for a moment, remembering the way Dancer had risked her life to free Lexi from the vile old wizard.

  “Don’t try to save me,” Lexi whispered. “Just find Tiberius.”

  She didn’t wait for an answer but flung the glider out of the small cleft in the hillside. She watched in the gray light of morning as Dancer rose up into the air. It was almost magical, Lexi thought, and she longed for Tiberius. Then a pang of guilt stabbed at her conscience. She couldn’t help but feel that she was getting what she deserved for betraying Tiberius. Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to give in to the feeling of hopelessness. She determined that she would do everything she could to survive.

  The graypees took their time approaching. Lexi’s torch had gone out in the night, but she had plenty of kindling. After an hour, there was no doubt that the pack was closing in. The reptilian predators yapped and growled to one another as they swept up the valley toward her hiding place. Lexi used flint and the steel blade of her dagger to start a fire. She moved from place to place along the barricade of firewood, carefully starting fires that would hold the animals at bay. Soon the wood was burning brightly, making the valley shimmer until it was almost like a dream.

  Lexi moved to the back of the cleft, holding her makeshift spear and waiting. She could hear the growls of the graypees above the crackling of the fire and the sounds of the nervous horses. She gripped her stick and said a prayer to Addoni that Tiberius would find her soon; otherwise, there would probably be nothing left to find.

  Chapter 33

  Olyva

  The captain barked orders at his men. Olyva and Rafe were on the main deck of the large sky ship. The Hamill Keep vessel was different than those of the other cities. The hull was long and boxy, built to carry a large quantity of heavy cargo. The ships from Avondale and Sparlan Citadel were sleek vessels that spoke of wealth and luxury. The Hamill Keep sky ship was a workhorse, nothing more. Its crew slept in long, low-roofed cabins that ran the length of the ship’s main deck center section. The sides of the main deck were clear, and a short railing ran around the entire deck. The captain had a small cabin at the stern, and the guest quarters were at the bow. Olyva and Rafe stood looking over the starboard side railing at the city on the mountaintop below.

  “Can you see him?” Rafe asked through clenched teeth.

  Olyva knew that Rafe’s broken jaw was surely excruciating, but his worry over Tiberius seemed to cause him the most pain. Olyva wished that she could do something for him, but all she could offer was relief from his physical pain, and she knew that Rafe would not accept it, not while Tiberius risked his life for them.

  “I can’t,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”

  “We can’t leave him,” Rafe said.

  “We won’t, I promise. I’ll speak to the captain right now.”

  Olyva hurried away. She was relieved to be out of the city and relatively safe, but she hated being so far from the ground. The sun felt exquisite, but she longed to root her toes into soft soil again. She had to climb the stairs up onto the command deck, which was over the captain’s cabin.

  He looked at her with a frown and said, “I expect you’ll tell me what’s happening now.”

  “Captain, there are many things happening, and there will be time enough to explain it all, but for now, the city is rioting, Earl Marcus is dead, and a man down there needs our help.”

  “You want me to go back down?”

  “I want you to stay close to the city. Can you do that?” she asked.

  She knew it was a risk. If the captain ordered his crew to take Olyva and her family hostage, they could dock at the palace again, and the captain could turn his prisoners over to the rioters. The better bet would be to sail away from the city immediately and remove the temptation for the sky ship’s crew to join the rioting city, but then they might lose Tiberius forever.

  “Of course I can, but it makes no sense to risk the earl’s family and this entire ship for just one man,” the captain said irritably.

  “Tiberius Aegusson is the Earl of Avondale’s son. Would you really have us simply leave him behind?”

  “Perhaps,” the captain said. “Is it true you and your friends crossed the blighted lands?”

  “How else would we have gotten here?” Olyva said.

  “Magic, perhaps,” the captain replied, looking pointedly
down at Olyva’s feet.

  “Magic has been unleashed on the nine cities of Valana, but not by us. You were with my father in Sparlan Citadel. How did he behave on the return voyage?”

  “I don’t know,” the captain said. “He stayed in his cabin the entire time.”

  “Is that normal?”

  “No,” the captain said with a sigh. “Your father loved this ship. He spent the entire voyage to the capital here on the command deck with me.”

  “And what happened to the servants who accompanied my father into the city?”

  “I don’t know,” growled the captain.

  “They didn’t return with the earl?” Olyva asked, already knowing the answer.

  “No.”

  “Well,” Olyva said, “for now, we require your ship and your help. Keep an open mind, Captain, and I assure you that your ship and crew will be safe.”

  “If you say so, my lady.”

  Olyva left the captain and returned to Rafe’s side. She could see a massive group of people in the marketplace, but she couldn’t tell what was happening.

  “What’s going on down there?” she asked.

  Rafe looked up with tears in his eyes, and suddenly Olyva realized what was happening. The crowds had found Tiberius and were attacking. Olyva looked back over the railing, noticing Rafe’s hands on the ships railing. He was squeezing the wood so tightly that his knuckles were white.

  “They can’t kill him,” she said. “Surely he would use magic to stop them.”

  Rafe was silent beside her. She glanced over and saw the tears streaking down his face. She had never had anyone she loved as much as Rafe loved Tiberius. They had had been friends since they were children and had saved each others lives so many times she had lost count. She had hoped that Rafe would love her the same way, but since the Hosscum had changed her, Rafe had been distant. She had thought she could be okay with that, that she could embrace the gifts that had been given to her and live her life happily, but now she realized that she wanted Rafe’s love more than ever. He was her hero. He had saved her family, freeing her father from whatever heinous thing had taken over his body and then rescuing her mother and sisters from the rioting mob. She wanted to comfort him, to ease his pain, but nothing she possessed could stop his heart from breaking for Tiberius.

  “They’re moving him,” Rafe said.

  Olyva looked back down. She could see the soldiers as the captain brought the sky ship closer to the city. The wind was blowing, but they could still hear the taunts occasionally rising up from the mob below.

  Olyva pulled herself away; she didn’t want to see what they would do to Tiberius. He had proven himself capable and kind. His sacrifice for their safety made her weep. She went across the ship to the guest cabins. There were several small rooms and one larger one that was used by her father whenever he traveled. Olyva found her mother and sisters inside.

  “What’s wrong?” Desyra asked when she saw Olyva.

  “Nothing. Everything is fine.”

  “Well, your triumphant return wasn’t so grand, was it?” Cassandra taunted her. “And you’ve ruined all of our lives in the process.”

  “What happened to Father?” Frezya asked angrily. “Did your friends really kill him?”

  “He was already dead,” Olyva said. “Ask Mother, she’ll tell you.”

  “Ask me what?” their mother managed to say from the bed where she lay, her body racked with pain.

  “Mother, are you all right?” Olyva asked, moving to her mother’s side.

  “Ulbert said her ribs are cracked,” Desyra said.

  “I’ll be fine,” their mother said in a strained voice. “I just need a little rest, that’s all.”

  “Here,” Olyva said, raising her sleeve and plucking some of the furry stems from her upper arm. “Chew on these — it will ease the pain.”

  She put them to her mother’s lips.

  “Oh my God!” Cassandra said. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m helping.”

  “By giving her your hair?” Frezya said.

  “What happened to you?” Cassandra said.

  “I will explain everything to you later,” Olyva said firmly. “Mother, take this.”

  “Don’t!” Cassandra said, grabbing Olyva’s wrist. “She’s trying to bewitch you, Mother.”

  Frezya grabbed Olyva from behind, pinning her arms to her sides.

  “Girls!” their mother said, but her face contorted in pain.

  “Let me help her,” Olyva said.

  “You’ve helped enough!” Cassandra said angrily.

  “If we give her to them, we can go home,” Frezya said to her sister.

  Olyva looked at Cassandra, who smiled wickedly back.

  “But I doubt they’ll mind if they don’t get her back in one piece,” Cassandra said.

  Olyva raised her foot then slammed it down and back onto Frezya’s toes. The younger girl screamed and let Olyva go. Without even thinking about it, Olyva punched Cassandra hard in the nose. Then she stuffed the stems that were still between her fingers into her mother’s mouth.

  “You hit me!” Cassandra screamed.

  Olyva turned on Frezya, but she was already backing away, hobbling on her heel and crying about her toes.

  “That was amazing!” Desyra cried.

  “Oh, Olyva, what is this?” her mother asked. “I feel so much better.”

  “Rest, Mother. All will be well,” Olyva said, before turning to Cassandra again. “Do not get in my way, sister. I am not the same girl you knew.”

  “You hit me!” Cassandra said again.

  Olyva gave her a cynical smile and said, “At least you’re still in one piece.” Then she stormed out of the cabin. She went back to Rafe’s side. The sky ship was hanging over the palace, and Rafe had moved to the bow where he could see what was happening with Tiberius.

  “They’re killing him,” Rafe said.

  “Can we stop it?” Olyva asked.

  The look of pain on Rafe’s face answered her question. She knew he would die for his friend, but Tiberius had made the choice to stay. He had made their escape possible, and now Rafe would stay with Olyva and honor his friend’s sacrifice by keeping her safe.

  They watched as the chopping block was brought out and Tiberius was held down for execution. Olyva couldn’t watch and buried her face in Rafe’s chest. She could feel him sobbing, and his heartbreak only made her feel worse. Then suddenly he started jumping up and down.

  “What is it?” she asked, looking down.

  “Tiberius!” Rafe crowed.

  Tiberius was standing up now, the guards backing away, and then fire erupted all around him. Olyva watched in horror thinking that Tiberius was burning, and then the fire disappeared and Tiberius was simply gone.

  “What’s happened?” Olyva asked. “Where is he?”

  “Lower the stairs!” Rafe said, grimacing with pain. “Do it now!”

  Rafe ran for the hatch that led to the stairs, and Olyva ran with him, feeling hopeful for the first time since seeing her father that morning.

  Chapter 34

  Tiberius

  He ran back into the feasting hall and toward the door where the earl had come from earlier that day. Ti knew that the soldiers would be sent to search for him and he kept the cloaking spell in place, even though his body ached and his mind felt numb. He raced up the stairs, gasping for breath, his legs on fire.

  It took him a few moments to find the vestibule on the opposite end of the wide corridor that led to the earl’s bedchamber. He hurried up the wide staircase that led to the palace’s roof, and to his utter relief, he saw the stairs of the sky ship lowering. He let the cloaking spell end and ran out onto the roof.

  Tiberius wasn’t the only person to see the sky ship opening the stairwell that served as a gangplank for passengers to board the mighty vessel. Tiberius heard people all around the palace shouting about the ship and he knew it was only a matter of time before the soldiers caught up with him
.

  “Hurry!” Tiberius shouted.

  Rafe was at the bottom of the stairs as it slowly descended. The sky ship wasn’t tethered to the palace, and a gust of wind rocked the ship sideways. Tiberius heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the vestibule and he knew he was out of time. The ship was shifting to his right, and the stairway, still five feet above the rooftop, was almost out over the edge of the roof.

  Tiberius raced toward the ship. Rafe saw him and took hold of the thick rope that lowered the stairs. He bent low, reaching out for his friend. Tiberius didn’t think he could pull himself up into the ship — he had never had much upper body strength. But he trusted Rafe completely. If he could just get to Rafe, he knew everything would be okay.

  He got to the edge of the roof, and the ship was still slipping away. Tiberius didn’t stop but stepped up onto the short crenelation that circled the palace roof and jumped. For a moment he was falling again, and then his hand slapped into Rafe’s, and Tiberius felt a grip-like iron.

  “Got you!” Rafe said, using Tiberius’ momentum to swing his friend up onto the stairs.

  There was a shaky moment before Tiberius got his balance and his head stopped spinning from fear and fatigue. The soldiers on the rooftop were looking on in disbelief. Rafe hauled Tiberius up the stairs, and they collapsed into the hold. Olyva was squealing like a little girl as she raced up the stairs shouting for the captain to lift off. Two sailors hoisted the stairwell back into place as Tiberius caught his breath.

  “You look like hell,” Rafe said through clenched teeth.

  “You sound like it,” Tiberius said. “That was some catch.”

  “Great jump.”

  “I just thought, what would Rafe do?”

  Both men laughed as Rafe led the way back up to the main deck. The captain looked angry, and Olyva’s sisters were storming forward demanding to know what was happening.

  “We have to go get Lexi,” Tiberius said.

  “We are going back for another person?” the captain demanded.