There was a change of clothes for each of them, along with a good chunk of their money. “Grab your purse and knives,” she said, glancing around the room, trying to decide if there was anything else they couldn’t afford to leave behind. The books would burn, as would her clothes, and it wasn’t as if they kept anything of value besides the money here.
Seeing that Jin had his long knife strapped to his waist and his purse tucked inside the jacket he’d swung on, Azara turned to face the door. Smoke seeped around its edges, and she grimaced. “I’ll lead the way. Stay close, and if you have trouble breathing, let me know.”
He didn’t argue, for which she was grateful. She was originally a fire mage and her immunity to flames and ability to handle smoke remained intact. If there wasn’t enough air mixed in with the smoke though, they’d both be in trouble.
Azara ripped open the door, hiking the carpetbag up on one shoulder. More smoke billowed in, and the sound of screams was louder. Added to it was the crackle of the fire as it ate its way through the inn. Behind her, Jin coughed, his eyes watering against the heavy smoke. She glanced towards the main staircase.
The flickering orange light and growing shadows along with the thickening smoke told her what would happen if they went that route. Grimacing, Azara turned towards the servants’ stairs. A quick jiggle of the handle showed it was locked.
Hissing, it hadn’t escaped Azara’s notice that Jin’s coughs were coming more frequently, she summoned the warmth in her veins and jammed half-liquid crystal into the lock. A moment of solidification later, and she turned the handle. Shoving the door open revealed a dark, narrow staircase less smoky than where they were standing.
Azara kept the lead, not about to trust the apparent flame-free passage. She heard muffled cracking, as something gave way on the other side of the hotel, a faint shake letting her know it hadn’t been small. She hurried down, trusting to her hands and feet to guide her as she couldn’t see.
A spot of growing light hurried her steps until they reached the bottom. The door in front of them opened into a kitchen that was engulfed in fire. Jin flinched at the heat. Azara gritted her teeth and summoned up the crystal, holding it out in a shield around both of them, though the bulk of it she left surrounding Jin. “We’re going to have to run. Stay as close as you can.”
He nodded, eyes watering, likely unable to speak. An open doorway showed the faint darkness of the inn’s garden. Azara took a deep breath and held the crystal steady. She reached behind her and grabbed Jin’s hand, squeezing it before she took off at a run.
Azara felt the fire bite into her clothes, the thin sheen of crystal not enough to protect her. She ignored it, knowing it wouldn’t hurt her, and that the carpetbag was protected by her back. It took only a few moments to cross the kitchen, but it felt like hours, Jin’s laboured breathing growing heavier and more pained.
When they burst through the doorway, the cool air was like a glass of sweet water on a hot day. Hearing Jin gasp, doubled over and gulping air, she thought it must be more like water after being trapped in the desert for days in his view. The crystal had already sunk into Azara’s skin as soon as it had felt her relax.
The soft rasp of clothing against stone was only just audible above the roar of the flames. Azara half-turned, eyes widening as two men leapt towards her, out of the shadows by the garden’s wall. Faster than her own thoughts, the crystal burst outwards, forming a shield in front of her.
Two knives tinked against it, the smear they left telling Azara she couldn’t risk a single cut. No one coated blades with anything nice. Which was fine. The men weren’t getting a second chance. Before the men could do more than leap away, she swept her hands towards them, shouting, “Forward needles!”
Following her vocal cue along with the picture in her mind, the crystal shot out into narrow spines that pierced both men all over. Like a butterfly rammed into a cactus, they were shredded in an instant. Red bloomed over each needle as Azara held her position for a few heartbeats. Only then did she pull the crystal back in and let the bodies fall.
“Who...?” Jin didn’t get much further before he was hit with another fit of coughs.
Azara waved him off, approaching the swiftly cooling corpses. One batch of poison had her wary, so she used a coating of crystal on her hands to search them. She found little in the way of identification, but the gold coins on each of them, along with a paper bearing a small wax seal gave her a good idea of what had happened. Especially considering it contained a detailed description of both of them. She was almost amused to note it only listed Jin as a threat, saying he had magic.
She snorted and turned to Jin, who seemed to be getting himself under control. A drink from the water pump as well as a quick pour over his head seemed to have stilled his coughs somewhat. He looked at her, the question in his eyes easy to read.
Nodding towards the bodies, Azara crossed her arms over her ruined nightgown. What the fire hadn’t gotten to, the crystal had sure made inroads on. “You were right. We’ve attracted the wrong kind of attention. As I see it, we’ve got two option. We can make a run for the Empire, which is what they’ll expect. Or we go into the heart of the enemy’s territory and strike at them.” She turned a bloodthirsty grin on Jin. “I’m sure you can guess which I prefer.”
His gaze went to the two corpses, then back to her, studying every bit of her face. His expression was hard to see with the fire turning him into more of a shadow. The shouts and alarm bells from out front were louder, and it was only a matter of time before other people came here, for the water pump at the very least.
Finally, Jin sighed. “You are correct it won’t be what they expect. What if it’s suicide?”
“It won’t be. Two of us together can scout the baron’s estate quietly. We stay as hidden as possible and gather the information we need. If there are fire mages, we make a decision about what to do at that time. If there’s none, we make a run to the border from there. Either way, they won’t expect it.”
“That’s the only reason I’m agreeing with you.”
Azara gave him half a smile as she held up the carpetbag. “That, and I have all of our clothes and money.”
Jin shook his head at her, but didn’t argue. As much as he might be mad at her for pushing him into this situation, in a way Azara was glad for this. She was in her element. If there were fire mages, well, she’d make sure they were freed, one way or the other.
Chapter Nineteen: Directions
Azara wasn’t unhappy to be rid of her corset. Changed into the outfit she’d packed, a tweed riding suit along with her leather coat, she felt far more like herself. Jin’s outfit was similar and they looked more like hunters than merchants.
Jin was in the lead, heading towards a stable near the entertainment district, one that didn’t ask a lot of questions of its patrons. The sky was lightening to the east, birds and people alike beginning to stir. After a night skulking around one of the parks and keeping their eyes open for more attackers, Azara was all set to leave the city, to take this fight to others.
They had a couple of things to do first. One, rent or buy horses, two, pick up the necessary supplies, and three, if possible, and without drawing attention, confirm the location of the baron’s estate. She knew it was north of the city, but didn’t have anything more specific.
Her eyes swept back and forth, evaluating every bit of movement and the few people they passed by. She kept behind Jin, enough not to draw attention, but she was ready to yank him to safety if needed. If it came to it, she’d risk revealing her power, though if she got close enough, people would assume she had a hidden knife and had stabbed her opponent. It had worked well enough in the past.
Azara spared only a glance for the theatre, thinking there had to be one in the Empire and maybe Pocale. She could always see another play and right now she had more important things to worry a
bout. Like how Jin had admitted he wasn’t the strongest of riders. She supposed it could be worse, he’d at least ridden before. But it was definitely going to slow them down.
“It’s over there.” He nodded at a street that ran along the block behind the theatre. Traffic was light, but one man was stumbling in that direction, the reins of a bay mare clutched in one hand. A sudden realization of why someone would set up a stable in this location had Azara shaking her head. Some things were the same no matter where you went.
Jin followed in the stranger’s wake, walking into the stable projecting confidence. Azara’s nose twitched at the scent of hay, manure, sweat and horse that rolled over her when she entered the dim hallway. Stalls ran along each side of the path, half filled with horses. Immediately, she began studying them. She’d need to give Jin an idea of which ones to pick.
She left him to talk to the disinterested man who was scribbling something into a book, the bay mare’s reins in his hand now. The stranger could be seen stumbling out the other way. Azara eyed the horses, dismissing the large one who looked like he had draft blood, and the chestnut mare who kept rolling her eyes at every movement.
They needed a solid, calm horse for Jin, and something of a lead horse for her, one that Jin’s mount would follow easily. She found her eyes drawn to a dapple grey with good lines. She munched her way through her hay, ignoring her neighbour’s attempt to stick his nose through the wooden slats.
Azara eyed two possibilities up. One a black gelding with white stockings who had his ears perked up towards them, his lanky form looking like he could run fast. The other a red roan mare who kicked the side wall of her stall every time her neighbour kicked the front of his, sometimes blowing out a sigh. Azara found herself drawn to the gelding for reasons she couldn’t explain.
Moving to Jin’s side, she could hear him bargaining with the man for the rental of two horses. She approved. Let him think they were coming back and there would be less suspicion.
“Which ones do you want, then? That’ll affect the price, even if you are only going to the west for a few days.”
Azara scratched up another point to Jin’s forethought. He was laying false trails, something she hadn’t thought to tell him to do. It made her life easier. She slipped up to him, wrapping one arm around his, gripping his elbow with her hand. When he glanced at her, she jerked his hand towards the dapple grey in a way that she hoped wouldn’t be noticed by the stableman.
He frowned, following the movement to the mare. “That grey one there.” He pointed at the dapple. The stableman turned to look, and she used his distraction to pull Jin’s arm towards the black gelding. Jin pointed at the white stallion that was his neighbour, but a quick headshake from her and he found the correct target.
By the time they’d reclaimed the stableman’s attention, Jin was ready. “And the black one over there.” He jerked his head towards where the gelding was eating, one ear turning towards them every time one of them spoke.
The other man stroked his chin, nodding. “You do know your horses. Those are both good choices for that kind of distance riding. And I know that resort does have excellent stables, so if you run them a little harder than they should, they’ll be rested again quickly.”
Azara wanted to preen, but repressed the urge. As far as the stableman was concerned, she was empty air. Jin was the customer and the important one, she his accessory. That alone made her want to never return to Nalbin.
“Do we have a deal?”
The stableman smiled ruefully. “Yeah, we have a deal, you damned swindler.” He held out his hand and Jin shook it.
Azara felt herself relax. They were on the right path, and with everything that had happened only a few hours earlier, it felt nice to be doing something correct.
* * *
Jin’s legs ached. He glanced at Azara, who rode ahead, her back straight, eyes scanning the area. She rode well, with no hint of exhaustion despite the long and sleepless night for both of them. Jin wished he had her skill, his awkward seat having improved somewhat over the course of the morning, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stay on if his horse bolted. Still, his mount was steady and hadn’t shown much interest in anything except following Azara’s.
Behind each of them were waterproof canvas sheets that Azara had turned into bags, stuffed with a blanket roll, food and other necessities. Once they’d secured their horses, she’d had them down by the docks, where they’d acquired the rest of their supplies from a second-hand shop. She said it would be less suspicious that way and he couldn’t disagree. All in all, he was seeing her in her element and found she’d had good reason for her air of confidence.
Not that he’d doubted it, but the reality brought home that truth more than mere assumptions. She might not have the experience of navigating higher circles, but she was no less skilled than him, and in many ways more skilled. He would follow her lead on the camping as his experience was limited to having had servants set everything up on the annual Imperial hunt.
They were in the countryside now, gently rolling hills dotted with the odd distant farmhouse or herd of sheep or cattle grazing. Well out of the area surrounding the capital, they were alone on the narrow dirt road. And since Azara had thrown their attackers’ bodies into the fire before they’d left the inn, they wouldn’t have to worry about immediate pursuit. He hoped their information about where the baron’s estate lay was good.
The two people Azara had asked him to speak to, mentioning a cousin who worked at the manor, had confirmed the general direction. Once they were closer, it would be easier to check with the locals in a different guise. If they were very lucky they might stumble upon the estate without having to ask.
The slowing of Azara’s mount had him looking up. “There’s no one around, and we haven’t seen anyone for a while. How are you holding up?”
Jin forced a smile. “I can manage. Speed is as important as direction at this point.”
“I know this can’t be easy for you, since you’re not much of a rider. When we stop, you should let me massage your legs. It’ll help with cramps.”
The thought of her massaging all the parts of him that ached had Jin flushing. There were places where no woman had... He pushed that thought away. That was not a direction to follow, not with his partner. And Azara was a good match for him despite his early misgivings. “I should be able to handle doing that myself though I appreciate the offer. I’m afraid I will have to follow your lead in the set-up of camp and general tasks. When the Imperial court travels, it’s not exactly the same kind of camping.”
She smiled at that. “I can imagine. I also imagine you’re used to the assistance of servants for a lot of this.”
“I can’t deny that. I feel I would have been more adaptable in my student days, but I was used to the unexpected.”
Azara gave him a quizzical look before comprehension dawned. “Yes, you had said you didn’t have a good relationship with the other mage students.”
Jin didn’t bother to correct her misuse of the word mage. “That is something of an understatement. More than a few were quite determined to drive me out. I survived, and more than that, excelled, to the point where some of them answer to me now.”
Her chuckle was dark. “That makes your victory all the sweeter.”
“It does. Though I do my best not to allow my personal feelings colour my interactions with them. At least, not more than occasionally.”
“That’s only natural. Why were they so intent on driving you out? There are plenty of officials, mage and not, who seem to come from all walks of life.”
Jin grimaced, but he owed her this story. “I was a slave. I worked off my purchase price in the service of his celestial majesty, but was freed before then.”
Her eyebrows rose. “I hadn’t expected that. You don’t give me the feel of most freed slaves.”
&nb
sp; “I suppose that would be because I was only a slave a short while.” He gritted his teeth as memories rose, but he shoved the attached emotions down and kept his voice neutral. It was hard enough to tell this story without feeling it as well. “I was among the youngest of my siblings and my parents...they were concerned in moving up within the Empire, my mother from an impoverished noble magi house, my father from a rich magi family out of Rancia. They’re similar in many ways. They spent money lavishly and, in time, found their purses tight. So they turned to their children. As the youngest male, and one who had less the look of the Empire than the others, they decided to sell me.”
Azara choked, eyes wide, but Jin forged on, knowing he wouldn’t be able to start again if he stopped. “It was his celestial majesty who purchased me, though he was crown prince at the time. He freed me, asking me to enter his service. He was aware that my line produced strong magi and said he hoped I would study in order to serve him. He made the arrangements and gave me a chance at a life I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
“That’s why you have such loyalty to him.” The words were just above a whisper, but Jin nodded.
“His celestial majesty gave me everything, and I owe him nothing than my purest loyalty and devotion. I would die for him.”
Azara shifted on her mount before meeting his eyes. “Do you not think that may be why he freed you? To gain your loyalty and power?”
Jin gave her an incredulous look. “Of course that’s why his celestial majesty did it. I’ve seen him do the same thing many times over. It doesn’t change what he did or what I owe him. He is an intelligent man, a fair ruler, and someone I admire. He is also ruthless. I know who I serve.”
She shook her head, a little smile pulling at her lips. “Every day I find that you’re more and more not what I expected.”
Heart of Crystal Page 17