The Storm Crow

by Kalyn Josephson

  The shadows shifted, pulling my gaze. Something gold flashed in the darkness along the wall. Then voices.

  Razel entered the throne room, flanked by the servant with the torch. Ericen followed, his eyes widening at the sight of me.

  I barely noticed him past that, because there was something in Razel’s arms. Something dark and feathered. My vision narrowed, the room tilting.

  Resyries.

  I went still. Then his sides expanded. Air rushed from my lungs, and I drew another ragged breath, my entire body wilting with relief. He must have been drugged.

  “Get your hands off him!” I was halfway across the room before Ericen sprung forward. He caught me by the shoulders, pushing me back. I shoved at his chest, but he didn’t give. Over his shoulder, Razel smiled.

  Three guards entered, Caylus held between two of them, his hands bound before him. He had a bruise around one eye, and his lip was split and bloodied, but he otherwise looked okay. He struggled with his captors, and a female Vykryn drove a foot into the back of his legs, forcing him to his knees.

  She looked familiar.

  My lips parted—it was the girl from the bakery. The new one who’d started after I’d begun visiting.

  Caylus spat blood, then lifted his head, spotting me for the first time. “Thia.” His eyes hardened. “Thia, are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” I whispered. “I’m fine!” I slammed my hands into Ericen’s chest, and this time, he stumbled back, looking alarmed. “Did you know about this?” Was that what he and Shearen had been talking about in the tower?

  “Thia—”

  “I swear to the Saints, if you knew—”

  “Do you think he should have told you? He’s loyal to Illucia. To me.” Razel swept forward, the servant staying close by. The queen cradled Res in one arm like a mother might her child, using her free hand to pull a crumpled paper from her pocket.

  Caylus’s drawing. She must have taken it from my room when it was searched.

  Razel held it up. “I was just going to take the crow, but with your feelings for the boy, I thought he might be useful for motivating you to do as I say.”

  She tossed the paper into the flames. I lurched, watching as glowing embers ate away at the edges of the drawing until nothing but ash remained.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I vaguely registered Ericen’s shocked then hurt expression.

  Razel pounced on it. “Oh, Eri dear, didn’t you know? I thought she would have told you.”

  I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t even know if I should say something to him. My heart cracked open, releasing a storm inside my chest. Everything was happening too fast, and it was all out of my control.

  Razel smiled. “This is the problem with having people you care about—they can be used against you.”

  “What do you want?” I snarled.

  “The secret, of course.”

  To hatching.

  Slowly, things fell into place. By marrying me to Ericen, Razel would not only gain control of Rhodaire if something happened to Kuren and Caliza, she’d also gain control of the crows. She could hatch as many as she needed year after year, because she would have me, and my blood, and my experience.

  She’d have an army perfectly suited for taking control not only of Rhodaire but the entire continent.

  I swallowed hard. That was what Ericen had been looking for in the library in Aris: information on crows.

  Razel approached me, and I tensed. “I intended to wear you down, to break you until you did as you should and obeyed me. Come the winter solstice, I’d have an army. Imagine my surprise when I learned I didn’t have to wait so very long.”

  The girl holding Caylus smirked. She must have known what had happened when Res had lost control of his powers and gone straight to her queen.

  Razel stopped a step away. My fingers twitched, desperate to snatch Res from her hold. “Now, Thia dear, you will hatch me my army.”

  “No.”

  She smiled and then nodded to the female guard beside Caylus. There was a cry, and I spun as she knocked Caylus to the ground. She kicked him again, driving her foot into his ribs, his legs, his back. He curled into a ball, trying to protect his stomach.

  “Stop it!” I yelled.

  Razel raised a hand. The guard froze midkick and lowered her leg.

  “The secret,” she said.

  “Don’t!” Caylus rasped. “Don’t do it, Thia.”

  I stared at him, paralyzed. Razel would kill him if I didn’t, but I couldn’t give her what she wanted. She would destroy everything.

  “Is this really necessary?” Ericen demanded.

  I whirled around to face him.

  He stared imploringly at his mother, his hands clenched. “You’re forcing her to make a difficult choice. Give her time.”

  “She doesn’t have a choice.” The amusement in Razel’s voice had vanished, her tone dropping low and predatory. She eyed her son, as if daring him to contradict her again.

  He didn’t. He drew back beneath her sharp gaze, averting his own.

  Razel nodded to the guard, and she seized the collar of Caylus’s shirt, driving her fist into his jaw. Caylus struck the ground, and the guard kicked him in the stomach.

  I stayed rooted to the spot, my nails digging so harshly into my palms, I drew blood. The sound of each punch landing made my skin crawl and my stomach turn. But I didn’t move. I couldn’t give Razel what she wanted. I couldn’t.

  The guard paused, looking up at Razel. The queen watched me, waiting like a jungle cat ready to pounce.

  Still, I said nothing.

  Razel faced Shearen. He seized a dagger from his hip and drove it into Kiva’s shoulder.

  I screamed as Kiva screamed, dropping to her knees as Shearen ripped the dagger free and put it to her throat. I stumbled toward her, legs weak, voice breaking. “I’ll show you! Just let her go!”

  “Thia, no!” Kiva cried.

  Shearen pushed the blade closer to her neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

  “I said I’ll show you!” I yelled, looking desperately to Razel. “Take me to the eggs. I’ll show you. Just call him off. Please.”

  Shearen pulled the knife away from Kiva’s throat, then drove his foot into the back of her injured shoulder. Kiva cried out, crumpling to the ground.

  I surged forward, but Razel stepped into my path. “Wrong way, Thia dear.”

  Breathing heavily, I turned toward the door. Something tugged inside me. My heart fluttered as a humming threaded along my skin. In Razel’s arms, Resyries shifted. I felt the cord between us pulse. Then again.

  In the midst of everything, with Caylus and Kiva injured, with Ericen standing idly by, Shearen smiling and Razel staring me down with the judgment of a goddess, simply feeling that pulse centered me.

  Now. I shoved the word down the line.

  Res’s body crackled with lightning.

  Razel screamed, releasing him. His wings flared as he tried to catch himself, but the drug was still in his system, and he hit the ground hard. At the same time, a guard yelled and crumpled to the floor, revealing Auma’s small form several feet behind, her arm still outstretched from throwing the knife.

  And she wasn’t alone.

  Thirty-One

  At Auma’s back stood five masked Trendellan monks in black robes. Kuren had told me about them once; they were a special part of Trendell’s small army so well trained in stealth, they could even fool a shadow crow. And now they stood here, at the back of a girl who had vanished in the world’s most heavily guarded city and, with the single throw of a knife, had downed a Vykryn.

  The other guard charged one of the monks, but Auma intercepted him. She was so light on her feet, so quick. She slit his throat in an instant.

  There was another cry, and I whirled back the o
ther way. Kiva had driven her foot into Shearen’s knee, then stumbled to her feet. Razel yelled for more guards as Shearen regained himself and launched at Kiva, dagger raised.

  I seized the torch from the servant and slammed it into Shearen’s chest, throwing him back. His uniform caught fire, and he screamed.

  The Trendellan monks broke into action. One surged toward Shearen, who frantically tried to put out the flames on his chest, and another toward Ericen, who stood frozen with shock and indecision. As the monk bore down on him, he broke free of his trance and threw up a block in time to avoid getting hit.

  Another monk went for Razel, and she whipped her moonblades from her back. As the shouts of approaching guards echoed from the hall, the other two monks went to meet them.

  Auma appeared at my side. I flinched, my mouth opening and closing, everything from words to the simple act of breathing failing me. Then I realized I was holding a flaming column of fire and chucked it across the room. The torch bounced, sending up a shower of sparks before settling against the wall.

  “You have to go,” Auma said.

  Behind her, Kiva was charging toward us. To my right, Caylus had regained his feet unsteadily. Someone had cut his bonds.

  Crouching down, I scooped the disoriented Res into my arms, Auma guarding my back.

  “There are horses outside the stables,” she said. “Follow the road west toward the nearest port. Find a ship to take you to the Ambriels. Lie low. Someone will find you.” Nothing of the demure servant was present.

  “Who are you?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  “There’s no time!”

  Kiva and Caylus both reached us. I could tell Caylus was in pain, but he barely grimaced. The tolerance of a fighter. Then I noticed his hands. They weren’t shaking.

  Kiva’s eyes went to Auma. They stared at each other for the briefest second, thoughts and questions and flashes of emotion whirring across Kiva’s face, and then Auma shot past her with a brush of her fingers along Kiva’s hand.

  “Can everyone move?” I clutched Res tight to my chest. They nodded, and we bolted for the exit, Kiva casting one last backward glance as we fled.

  I led the way down the corridor to the front of the castle, avoiding the two monks holding off a trio of Vykryn. We sped out onto the grounds and around to the stables. Rain fell in sheets, the chill in the air sharp as a sword. I held Res tighter.

  Three massive Illucian warhorses waited for us, but as we grew closer, Kiva stumbled. Caylus caught her before she struck the ground and heaved her to her feet. “You’re losing too much blood.”

  “Comforting.”

  “I’m just saying that—”

  “I’m fine,” she hissed, trying to push off him and move on her own. But she swayed, and he quickly ducked under her arm to support her. Shifting Res to one arm, I doubled back to slide under her other side, and together, we helped her onto the nearest horse.

  “Ride with her,” I told Caylus. “Make sure she doesn’t fall.”

  He swung onto the horse behind her, and I handed him Res, who gave a weak caw, then undid Caylus’s horse’s reins and those of the one beside it. Once I’d mounted, he handed Res back, and I clutched him to my body with one arm. Then I drove my heels into my horse’s sides.

  The amount of power that exploded out of the beast felt like a crow taking off. It sped down the road in a whirl of hooves and wind. I glanced back only once to make sure Caylus and Kiva were with me. As we curved around the bend to the front of the castle, I caught a glimpse of blue and snapped my head to the side.

  Ericen stood in the castle doorway, his chest heaving, blood smearing his neck. For half a second, I panicked it might be his, then guilt swallowed me. He’d made his choice, but I still didn’t want to leave him.

  We locked eyes, that brief second stretching into eternity, and then we’d passed him, and he was out of sight.

  Rain barreled into my face, blurring my vision and testing my hold on Res. I could feel the cord between us strengthening as the drug wore off. Gripping the horse harder with my knees, I pressed my legs into its sides, urging it faster. It complied, producing new bursts of speed each time I thought we couldn’t possibly go any quicker.

  The road shot through the city and down toward the river. We crossed through the Colorfalls, over the bridge and through the colored lights reflecting off the fog like moonlight on water. We raced to the countryside, past quiet houses illuminated by the bright glow of a full moon.

  We left Sordell far behind, speeding toward the Verian Hills and the ocean beyond. The horses lasted much longer than normal ones, and even as my muscles tired and the rain slowed, then stopped, we galloped. Two miles, three miles, four, five, and we finally hit the base of the hills and slowed the horses to a fast trot.

  Everyone was breathing hard, the horses most of all, and as they began the climb up the hills, we slowed them to a walk.

  The first thing I did was check on Kiva. I brought my horse closer to theirs, and she lifted her head, offering me a reassuring smile. But her already pale skin had turned nearly white, and crimson stained her shoulder. I couldn’t tell how much blood she’d lost.

  “The monks would have kept them busy,” Caylus said between heavy breaths. “We should have a head start. Unless the prince called for help…” He trailed off, glancing back the way we’d come.

  “Do you know how far the port is?” I asked.

  “Just another mile once we’re over these hills.”

  “Good.” I eyed Kiva. “Whether they’re close on our trail or not, we need to hurry.”

  When we neared the top of the summit, I glanced back. A wall of fog and heavy clouds rendered Sordell invisible. If someone pursued us, they were far enough behind that we couldn’t see them. Ericen had been right there; he’d seen us escaping. If he’d called any nearby soldiers, they’d be close.

  I saw no one.

  As we crested the summit, the dark, shapeless mass of the ocean stretched before us. Even from here, the rush of waves was audible. The salty smell of the sea lingered in the air, mixing with the clean scent of rain. Spots of lantern light dotted the land, and we nudged our horses toward them.

  At the bottom, I urged mine into a canter, and Caylus followed. Kiva’s head started to loll. There was too much blood on her shoulder. We’d have to find a healer before we found a ship, no matter how much time it cost us.

  “Faster!” I called to Caylus, kicking my horse into a gallop again. Its heavy breathing filled the air alongside the thunder of hooves. Guilt pulled at me, but I pushed my mount harder. The wind tore at my hair, pulling it loose from the braid to whip at my face. A few minutes later, Port Maranock came into view.

  It was a small town, filled with the smell of the ocean. Mist danced against my burning skin, and our breath fogged in the cold air. We raced down the nearest street, the smack of our horses’ hooves causing more than one lantern to be lit. My eyes darted from building to building, looking for the sign of a healer or a shop that might have supplies.

  We’d reached the docks by the time Caylus shouted, “There!” and pointed at a small house with a low-burning candle and a sign with a healer’s symbol.

  I leapt off my horse, Res bundled in my arms, and pounded on the door. “Help! Open the door!”

  Light filled the window as someone lit another candle, and a half-asleep older man pulled open the door. He took one look at our Illucian warhorses and our anything-but-Illucian faces and slammed the door shut.

  “Hey!” I screamed, pounding as hard as I could.

  “Thia?”

  “Open the damn door, you bastard!” My throat tore with every word, my voice turning hoarse.

  “Thia!”

  “What?” I shrieked, rounding on Caylus.

  He blinked, head tilted, then lifted his gaze to a spot over my head where a line of ships was
secured to the docks. He pointed at one with orange and green flags depicting a stag’s antlers. “I know those flags. We have to get to that ship.”

  “She needs a healer.” Kiva had slumped over despite the fact that Caylus had torn off a piece of his shirt and pressed it firmly against the wound.

  “There will be one on board. Trust me!”

  With a final kick to the door that sent one of the hinges clattering to the ground, I gave Res to Caylus before leaping onto my horse. Once I had him back, we took off along the docks to the ship. Moonlight bathed the deck and quarters, but it was otherwise dark, and the only way up meant scaling a mooring rope.

  “There’s no one here,” I hissed.

  Caylus rode past me to the water’s edge. “Talon!” he shouted at what looked like an empty lookout perch. “Talon!”

  For half a second, nothing happened. Then a shaggy mop of red hair appeared slowly over the edge of the lookout, followed by the rest of the yawning young man. He put a hand to his forehead as if to shade his eyes from some invisible sun. “Who’s there?” he called.

  “Damn you to Duren, Talon! I know you can see me.”

  I blinked. I’d never heard Caylus use that tone, let alone curse. Though I was about to do a whole lot more if Talon didn’t hurry up.

  The redhead waved. “Hiya, Caylus. Have a nice time in Illucia, did ya?”

  I stared at Caylus. “Is he serious?”

  “Talon, get Samra. Now.”

  Something about the other person’s name sent the redhead into action. He scurried down from the lookout like a rodent, landed on the deck, and disappeared inside the ship. I eyed Caylus. He’d sounded confident, in control. So different under pressure.

  “I need your vest,” I told him.

  He looked at me, brow furrowing, but did as I said, unbuttoning the vest he wore over his long-sleeved tunic and handing it to me. I wrapped Res in it, careful to leave part of his beak exposed so he could breathe.

  You’ll be okay, I promised him. Faint pulses of indistinct emotion came back down the cord.