Flick stood waiting by the south wall with a bag slung over his shoulders. They’d scouted out this spot before, a stretch lined with houses that didn’t have windows on their outward-facing sides. Kyra threw a grappling hook over the top—it clinked more loudly than she would have liked—then waited as Flick climbed up and hauled their bags after him. Idalee was next. Kyra tied a loop for the girl to stand on, and she held tightly with her good arm while Flick pulled her up. Lettie followed, and then Kyra came last.
A wide road circled the city wall. Beyond that were houses, not crowded as densely as the houses in the city, but there were still too many people who might see them. The main road led out from the city gates, but that was farther down the wall, and they didn’t dare follow it. Instead, they took narrow footpaths that led them between houses. There were others on these roads—farmers returning home, women running errands. The four of them put their heads down and walked as if they belonged.
Flick pulled even with Kyra. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“The Agan brothers found me as I was leaving the compound. Started taunting me about Idalee, and then they started threatening me.”
“They attacked you?”
Had they attacked her? Flick was clearly willing to believe that it had been self-defense. And in part, it had been—once they’d laid hands on her. But she’d had a chance to flee—she’d wanted an excuse not to. Kyra shook her head. It was hard even to think back on it. Every time she did, her battle lust crept back like a slow fog. She didn’t dare think about what would happen if it took over.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
To her relief, Flick didn’t push her. “We’ll need to figure out where to go.”
Kyra watched the ground pass under her feet. “I can’t stay in the city. There’s too many people looking for me, but it’s different for you. There’s no manhunt out for you, and you’ll have trouble from the Palace if you disappear. You’d be labeled a deserter.”
Flick considered this. “They’ll likely bring me in for questioning if I stay in the city. Even if they don’t, the best I have to look forward to is patrolling the forest with my unit tomorrow. I’ll take my chances as a deserter.”
She nodded, selfishly relieved. “Is there anyone you can take shelter with out here?”
“I have a friend who lives at the edge of the forest. We can try her.”
“What do you think, Idalee? And Lettie?” said Kyra.
Bells started ringing in the city just then, and Kyra’s heart nearly jumped out of her throat. She felt Flick’s hand on her back. “Keep walking.”
Hoofbeats sounded from the direction of the main road. A man shouted commands. Kyra looked around in panic for a place to go.
“The haystack,” Idalee said.
The houses had steadily become more spaced out as they walked, changing gradually into farms and fields. The haystack Idalee mentioned was piled taller than a man and cast a significant shadow in the moonlight. They ran for it. Idalee pulled Lettie next to the pile and ducked behind her protectively as Kyra and Flick settled in next to them, crouching in the hard-packed snow. They waited there, listening to the voices until they finally faded.
They continued like this, walking when they could and taking cover when they heard any sign of the search. And though they avoided capture, it was becoming clear that they couldn’t keep this up for long. Lettie started to stumble, and Idalee stared blankly ahead as she walked. Kyra found herself watching Idalee out of the corner of her eye. Ilona certainly wouldn’t have approved of such exertion.
Finally Flick raised a hand and indicated a small cottage in the distance.
“Is that it?” Kyra asked.
“Aye. Wait while I see if she’s there.” Flick paused. “I’m going to have to tell her everything, Kyra. I’d not feel right about it otherwise.”
“Tell her what you must,” said Kyra. “Everybody will know soon enough.”
Flick hadn’t been exaggerating when he said this house was at the edge of the forest. It would have been possible to throw a stone from the back door and hit one of the trees. Kyra, Idalee, and Lettie crouched in a dip off the road. It was very dark now, and they couldn’t see Flick near the house or know if he’d been let in. Lettie leaned on Kyra’s shoulder, then slowly tipped into her lap. The girl had fallen asleep.
“Kyra?” Idalee’s voice came timidly out of the darkness.
“I’m here,” she said.
There was a silence before Idalee spoke. “Did you kill Santon because of what they did to me?”
Kyra wondered if her heart would stop beating. She was glad for the darkness just then, and grateful Idalee could not see her face. “It all happened really quickly.”
“You don’t have to hide it from me, Kyra. I know how angry you were.”
Hearing the tremor in Idalee’s voice was like seeing her get beaten all over again. Kyra reached out. It took her two tries, but she found Idalee’s hand. “Idalee,” she said. “What happened with Santon tonight…it was I who did it, not you. Don’t ever blame yourself for what they did to you, or what I did to—” She had to stop speaking, as images of Santon’s mangled corpse flashed again through her mind. “I lost my temper, and I…took things too far. I’m sorry that you have to bear the consequences.” And Tristam and Malikel as well. She didn’t know how far the ramifications would extend.
A long silence stretched between them. Idalee held tight to her hand. Lettie’s weight was warm in Kyra’s lap. The child’s ribs expanded with every breath.
“Will you be all right?” Idalee asked.
Kyra hadn’t expected that response, and she marveled at how lucky she was to have Idalee, Flick, and Lettie. She gave Idalee a grateful squeeze. “I hope so.”
A small point of light appeared near the house and bobbed toward them. It was a candlestick held by a very old woman. Her gray-white hair was loosely tied in a braid that hung over her shoulder, and she wore a luxurious night-robe of fine velvet, trimmed with fur.
Flick’s voice spoke from behind her. “Kyra, this is Mercie.”
The old woman looked them over. “I’ll take in the four of you tonight,” she said in a rich, throaty voice. “Flick and the sisters can stay until things calm down. But you”—she gave Kyra a pointed glance—“must leave tomorrow. It’s too dangerous for me to keep you.”
“I understand,” said Kyra.
“Well, then, move quickly.”
They didn’t bother waking Lettie. Flick picked her up, and they all hurried behind Mercie into her house. Kyra couldn’t see much by the candle flame, though the floor felt smooth and well polished under her feet. Mercie led them to a back room, where she laid out blankets and furs on the ground.
“In you go, then. We’ll talk tomorrow morning.”
If Flick trusted this woman, it was good enough for Kyra. She burrowed underneath the pile of blankets, not even bothering to remove her cloak. Idalee pressed her back against hers and they finally surrendered to sleep.
T H I R T E E N
There was a rush of cold air as someone pulled the blankets off her. Kyra’s eyes flew open, and she reached for her dagger. Mercie took a step back, holding up empty hands.
“It’s just me, lass. Red Shields are searching the houses in the area. Someone must have seen you last night. You need to get out. All of you.”
That woke her up. Kyra looked around. It was early morning. Racks of shoes, dresses, and hats lined the walls of their room, and the air smelled faintly of perfume. Idalee was shaking Lettie awake, and Flick stood at the window, running his hands through his mussed-up hair.
“They’re coming closer,” said Flick. Idalee pulled Lettie to her feet and fastened the girl’s cloak around her.
“You can go out the forest side,” said Mercie. “Quickly.”
They stumbled on sleep-heavy limbs through the house. Mercie opened a window and Kyra jumped through, followed by Idalee. Flick lifted Lettie over, then clim
bed out last. Now that Kyra was outside, she could hear voices in the distance, though the house blocked her view.
“The blankets, Mercie,” said Flick. “Remember to—”
“I can handle a dozen Red Shields,” Mercie snapped. She pointed to a heavy, flat stone a short distance from the window. “See that stone? When the narrow edge points toward the forest instead of the house, that will mean the soldiers are gone. You can return then.”
There was already a trail of footprints from Mercie’s house to the trees. They followed it, doing their best to step within the existing prints, and kept going until the road was completely out of view. There, they stopped to catch their breath. Kyra’s stomach growled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything in a long time.
“Think any of the Red Shields saw us?” she asked.
“If they had, they’d be chasing,” said Idalee.
She couldn’t argue with that logic. “Flick, what does Mercie do? She lives in a cottage but dresses like a wallhugger.”
Flick chuckled. “Mercie was a thief, you could say. She charmed well-to-do men and made off with their coin. Doesn’t do much of it anymore.”
That would explain why she wasn’t afraid to defy the law, and why she’d almost seemed insulted when Flick told her to hide the blankets.
“You should go back and hide with her after the search is over,” said Kyra. “I’ll find somewhere else to go, but there’s no reason you must stay with me. There’s a cave farther out in the forest where I can take shelter.”
Flick shifted uncomfortably. “We can’t exactly cut you loose by yourself. Mayhap we could all go to the cave.”
“There’s demon cats in these forests, Flick. It’s not safe for you. I, at least, share their blood.”
“I don’t know.…Mayhap we can think of something else.”
Kyra drew breath to respond, but her answer turned into a cry of warning as a demon cat launched itself out of the trees.
It was mind-boggling, how the cats appeared out of nowhere. There had been no sound at all. Only when the cat’s shadow fell upon them did Kyra throw herself at the others, sending Lettie sprawling and landing on top of Flick. She got a knee in the ribs for her efforts, and the demon cat pounced onto the spot where they’d just stood.
“Do you know this one?” Flick yelled. He pulled his legs out from under her and hauled Kyra to her feet.
It was a sleek black felbeast. A smaller one, and Kyra guessed it was female. “No,” she said. Never had a single word felt like such bad news.
The beast lunged for them. Kyra dove out of the way and rolled. When she regained her feet, she looked in panic for the others. Flick had jumped the other way. Lettie darted for the trees, and Idalee ran after her. The felbeast fixed its eyes on Flick.
“No!” Kyra shouted. Before the beast could leap, Kyra threw herself onto the creature’s back and wrapped her arms around its neck. There was a rush of air across her arms as the beast snapped its teeth, and she held on for dear life while the demon cat twisted and bucked. Her grip started to fail.
The cat gave a violent shake of its head, and Kyra fell hard onto the ground. Her head spun. Now would be a good time to change shape, but she couldn’t even think straight.
A streak of yellow flew above her, and a cacophony of roars drowned out Flick’s yells. Kyra sat up to see a tawny-yellow cat collide with the black one. The two beasts tumbled to the ground, growling and snapping. Was the new cat Leyus? No. The beast was too small, but Kyra recognized it all the same. This was Pashla.
The two felbeasts continued to struggle, but Pashla wasn’t going for blood—Kyra had seen enough fights now to know the difference. Pashla used her weight to pin her opponent. She bared her fangs and snapped, but she didn’t aim for the other beast’s throat. Slowly, the black cat reined in its attack, and the outlines of both cats started blurring.
As the Demon Riders changed into their skin, Kyra glanced at the others. Lettie’s mouth hung open, and Idalee stared at the beasts in wonder. Flick stared as well, then raised one eyebrow when he saw Kyra watching. Kyra turned back to see Pashla crouched on the ground opposite a young woman with pale white skin and jet-black hair. The two naked women huddled against the wind as they reached into bags that had fallen at their feet. They must have been wearing the pouches around their necks when they’d been in their fur.
Kyra realized, as she looked closer, that she recognized the other woman. Her name was Adele. She and her friend Mela had once asked Kyra about her life with the humans. Adele had been friendly and curious that time. What had changed?
Pashla caught Kyra’s eye and beckoned her closer. “Adele didn’t recognize you. There was fighting this morning, and she mistook you for the hostile humans.”
Adele met Kyra’s eyes and gave a solemn nod. “I was mistaken. Please forgive me.”
Flick came up behind her, eyeing the two clanswomen warily. He looked slightly at a loss for words. At least Pashla and Adele were fully clothed now. Pashla wore a cloak over her leather wraparound tunic and leggings. Adele wore no cloak, and her tunic had no sleeves. Kyra could see goose bumps on the clanswoman’s arms, but Adele didn’t shiver.
“Is everything all right?” said Flick, looking from the Makvani women to Kyra.
“I think so,” Kyra said, and the clanswomen didn’t contradict her. Adele eyed Flick with curiosity, looking for all the world like a cat presented with a new insect. “This is Flick, my friend,” Kyra said. She turned to him. “There was a misunderstanding. Adele didn’t mean to attack us.”
“I see,” said Flick in a tone of voice that suggested he most definitely did not see. Kyra wondered how good the Makvani were at picking up sarcasm. But as strange as things currently were, they definitely could have ended up a lot worse. Now the question was how to proceed.
Pashla’s gaze focused behind Kyra. “Those two girls, are they with you as well?”
So much for keeping them out of this. “Those are my adopted sisters. They mean no harm.”
“I wish to see them,” said Pashla.
Kyra hesitated but decided it was better to trust Pashla. She nodded to Idalee, who took Lettie’s hand and led her cautiously closer. Pashla looked the nervous girls over. To Kyra’s surprise, Idalee and Lettie didn’t cower, but instead stood taller and calmer under Pashla’s gaze.
A branch cracked in the distance just then, and Pashla turned her face to the wind. “There are people coming.”
“Soldiers,” said Adele. Kyra heard the clank of weapons, and she remembered Pashla’s earlier words about a fight and hostile humans. Had the early units out of Forge already clashed with the Makvani? Adele’s eyes took on a fierce glint, and she reached to untie her belt. Pashla started to unclasp her cloak, and Kyra realized with horror that they were preparing to change shape.
She grabbed Pashla and Adele by the arm. “Don’t,” she said. “There’s many of them. You can’t face them all.”
Pashla’s face tightened with annoyance, and she shook off Kyra’s arm.
“Who goes there?” called a voice.
Kyra’s stomach plummeted. For better or worse, the soldiers were here.
Pashla gave Kyra a furious glare. A group of about twenty men picked their way toward them, and the Makvani no longer had the window of time they needed to change shape. Out of the corner of her eye, Kyra saw Flick throw his cloak around Adele’s shoulders. It took Kyra a moment to realize what he was doing. Adele’s wraparound tunic was the easiest way to identify her as Makvani, and Flick was covering up the evidence. Adele cast a suspicious glance toward him but kept the cloak around her shoulders.
One by one, the soldiers came into view. It wasn’t Flick’s unit, though like them, these soldiers lacked livery and wore the usual peasant garb of rough tunics and trousers. Despite the lack of uniforms, these men were formidable looking, much tougher than what Kyra remembered from the training fields. They were well muscled, and they carried swords and spears with confidence. A barrel-ches
ted man stepped out to speak to them.
“Your names?”
Flick stepped out from behind her. “My name is Fyvie of Forge, good soldier,” he said. “These are my sisters Marla and Isabel, Laurie, and their companions.”
The soldier sized them up, and Kyra hoped desperately that Pashla and Adele wouldn’t decide to attack. They wouldn’t be so rash as to change shape in front of twenty soldiers, would they? Next to her, Pashla lowered her eyes just the slightest bit. Was she trying to hide the amber in them?
“Your business?” asked the soldiers.
“Winter mushrooms,” said Flick. “They go for a fortune at the markets, and we used to have a good patch a little north of here. We thought we heard demon cats though, so we’re cutting our losses. Best to leave here with our lives and no mushrooms than the other way around, right?” He gave the soldier a self-effacing grin.
The soldier released his hands from his scabbard. “You heard the roars too, then?”
“Aye,” said Flick. “Raised the hair on the back of my neck.”
The soldier jerked his head toward a man behind him. “Nyles almost got one this morning. Stuck it good in the shoulder, but the beast got away.” Pashla stiffened, but the man didn’t seem to notice. “Best to pick someplace to forage that doesn’t put you in the path of fighting. His Grace doesn’t want people in the forest these days.”
His Grace, Kyra thought wryly. Not even the Council. The soldier was referring directly to Willem as if he were Duke of Forge. That didn’t bode well.
The soldier waved them on their way, and Flick started walking in the direction of the main road. The rest of them followed. When the soldiers were no longer in view, Kyra let out a sigh of relief.
“Those are the soldiers you’ve been telling me about?” asked Pashla. She stared back in their direction, her gaze calculating.
“Aye,” said Kyra. The clanswoman didn’t seem as dismissive of the troops now that she’d seen them. Kyra wondered if this morning’s fighting might have changed her mind. “Pashla, I know Leyus doesn’t want to see me, but those soldiers could be a real threat to you. Can you please let me speak with him just once?”
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