by Becky Allen
She nodded again. She hadn’t used as much magic in the last few days as she had during the Break, but she’d been dangerously depleted by the time she’d finally been able to rest, despite how her power had increased near the freed Closest. So she ate and drank, a meal prepared by Closest but flavored with the spices the Avowed had kept in their kitchen. Then she sat, rather than paced, until a quiet burst of commotion reached the estate house. She greeted Elan and the others almost at the door, and saw why Elan was frantic immediately.
Yes, this was another group of Closest. But with them, hands tied in front of her, was Palma. She was gaunt and covered in mud, in only a dress with no robe, with frizzy wisps of hair pulled free of their usual twists. Her wrists were tied and her eyes were red and puffy, though she wasn’t crying at the moment.
Elan was arguing with the nearby Closest holding her. He turned to Jae. “I tried to explain she’s our ally.”
“She’s Avowed,” one of the Closest said, then did a double take at Jae and bowed. Apparently her description had already spread to them somehow. The Closest were quiet, but they did share secrets with one another.
“Jae,” Elan implored.
Jae reached for Palma, placed a hand on the rope, and pulled at its energy. It crumbled under her grip, and Palma burst into tears. She turned to Elan and all but collapsed against him as he put his arms around her.
“Palma, what happened?” Lenni asked. Then, to Jae and Elan, she said, “I sent her home after the vow ceremony—she’s not a fighter. She was supposed to spread word among the Closest at as many estates as she could to be prepared.”
“I did!” Palma wailed. “I stopped at as many as I could see between the cities and my home. But after the Curse broke, the Closest rose up—against all of us, the Avowed, even me. They were going to kill me!”
“But they didn’t,” Karr said, voice even.
Palma gave a little sob at that, and one of the Closest who’d come in with Palma said, “She did tell our enclave to prepare for something. She never said what.” The woman’s skin was almost as light as Elan’s, but a less golden shade of brown, and her dark eyes sought out Palma for a moment, glaring. “If we’d known, we would have been ready. So many were killed…”
“So were the Avowed when you attacked!”
The woman looked away but said, “She didn’t explain anything—”
“You didn’t ask—”
“They couldn’t,” Jae said, an edge in her voice as she reminded Palma. She wondered if Palma’s warnings at the other estates had done any good at all, or if they’d been just as thoughtless and confusing.
“She surrendered to us, so we held her, just in case…in case she was telling the truth. That she was on our side,” the Closest woman continued.
“She was,” Elan said, wrapping an arm around Palma again. “She was trying to help.”
The woman didn’t look impressed by that.
“She was,” Jae confirmed. “She’s a member of the Order—our allies. They helped us achieve the Break. Even the Avowed among them.”
That finally seemed to mollify the woman. “I see, Lady Mage. Then I’m glad we didn’t harm her.”
Jae couldn’t quite identify the expression on Palma’s face at that. But Elan cleared his throat. “I’ll find a room for her to rest in.”
He led Palma out, and as they went, Jae remembered that Palma and Elan had been close, before Elan’s exile. In fact, he’d risked his father’s wrath on Palma’s behalf. It made sense that he was protecting her now, just as he’d tried to then.
She turned back to the Closest woman. “I’d like to know your name.”
“Minn, Lady Mage.”
“Minn,” Jae repeated. “You and your enclave are welcome here, with my thanks.” She glanced at Karr. “There was plenty in the kitchen earlier.”
“Yes, Lady Mage,” Karr agreed. “If you’d like to follow me, friends, I can show you the way. You can eat and then rest, and tomorrow, join us in training—if you choose.”
As if there was a doubt. Every Closest old enough to fight wanted to train. They would defend themselves and their newfound freedom. Jae felt an ember of pride at that, glowing inside her. Even if something happened to her, it would be hard for the Avowed to end this rebellion. Every Closest would fight to the death for their freedom.
If that happened, then the Avowed were doomed anyway. It was the Closest’s bloodlines that bound the Well—which was weakened, even now. Jae could sense the edge of the binding fraying already. Many, many Closest had been slaughtered in the last four days, and each death endangered the realm’s water supply. With every skirmish, with every death she witnessed or caused, the promise she’d made Tal to be merciful grew more distant, more impossible. Closest were still being killed every day, and the Highest were preparing something behind the city walls. Until they were out of power for good, there was no room for mercy at all.
She hadn’t meant to follow Elan and Palma, but she heard their voices echoing down the hall and stepped closer.
“It was horrible,” Palma sobbed. “They were brutal. I saw them kill two Avowed in cold blood. If that woman hadn’t recognized me, I would have been next!”
“It’s all right now, you’re safe,” Elan said, soothing her.
Jae reached the end of the hall but hesitated outside the room they’d found. She didn’t want to interrupt. She glanced inside and saw them sitting on cushions next to each other, Palma still in Elan’s arms. Jae turned away sharply but couldn’t bring herself to stop listening, even though this didn’t concern her.
“I didn’t know it would be like this. Lenni said it would be difficult if we freed them, but I didn’t know it would be so awful.”
“What did you expect?” Elan asked, a curious lilt in his voice.
“I don’t know, not…not that they’d be so…you’d think they’d be grateful. But they’re brutal.”
Elan sighed. “They’ve been through so much. Each and every one of them, Palma, they’ve survived things I can’t even imagine. They can’t just forget about all that.”
“I never hurt them!”
“We all did, every one of us who took the brand,” Elan said. “Even if we didn’t mean to. But you’re safe now.” There was the soft sound of movement, and his footsteps heading toward the door. “You’ll feel better once you’ve had some rest. You’re safe, I promise.”
He stepped out of the room and started down the hall, not even noticing Jae. She hurried to catch up with him, placed a hand on his elbow.
He half-jumped, turning quickly, then let out a bleat of laughter. “Blood and bones, you scared me! I didn’t know anyone was there.”
“Sorry,” Jae said. She hadn’t meant to startle him.
But he smiled. “It’s fine, you’d think I’d be used to how quietly you can move by now. I should pay more attention. You must have heard that, then—don’t worry about Palma. She’ll be fine, she just isn’t used to people who aren’t impressed by her.”
“Like you were, before Aredann,” Jae said.
Elan gave her a sidelong glance and said, “Yes, I suppose I was. She was beautiful and she needed my help and…it feels like a lifetime ago. Not a few months.”
“But you still are,” Jae said, and felt her cheeks heat up. “Still…still feel like…you protect her.”
“She needs someone to,” Elan said, but he stopped walking and looked at Jae. He reached out to put a hand on her elbow, then changed his mind and slid his hand down her arm to take her hand instead. “But I don’t feel the way I used to. Not about her, anyway.”
Jae stared down at their joined hands and didn’t know what to say, didn’t know why her heart was beating so fast. Elan smiled gently and let her hand go, then cleared his throat.
“We need to know what’s happening in the cities,” he said.
Jae felt as if she’d just experienced an earthquake and only now was the world stable under her feet again. She made herself focus on what
Elan was saying and nodded at him to continue.
“We need to know how the cities are faring, what the Highest are doing. If they’ve managed to contact any of the other Avowed.”
“They must have,” Jae said. The Closest army had done its best to keep watch on all the roads and stop anyone who tried to get by, but there was too much ground to cover and most of it was too far removed from the town they now controlled. They had to assume the Highest had gotten word out to their followers across the world, made contact, and made demands. There would be Avowed coming to help them soon.
At least, there would be unless the Closest had seized those estates. In which case, the messengers would have been killed on arrival, most likely.
Jae and the Closest had sent out messengers, too, and so far only a few had returned, bringing more Closest with them. There might be more on their way back, more followers to help them keep their freedom, but…maybe not. Maybe the rest had all been discovered by Avowed and killed for the messages they carried. It was so hard to say. There were so many crisscrossed roads to the future, she didn’t know which path was the most likely.
“I need to get into the city and find out what’s happening,” Elan said.
Jae felt as if her stomach had hiccupped at the idea of Elan going back to the cities, where his death warrant had been signed. “Someone from the Order can do it.”
“Forgive the question, but do you really trust the Order?”
Jae considered that. She knew Elan didn’t trust them—he hadn’t since finding out that Lenni had blocked Erra’s attempts to contact him. Even though the Order was on their side, its members having fought with them at the vow ceremony and again at the Break. They were helping to train the Closest now. There was no question that they wanted the Highest out of power.
But Elan thought Lenni saw the Closest only as tools. She wanted the Highest gone, and freeing the Closest had been the best way to strike against them. Plus, he was sure she had done something terrible to force Andra to spy for her.
Jae could see both sides, the way the Order had helped and the way Lenni had kept secrets. But for all she wanted to trust Lenni, she definitely trusted Elan. In her blood and her bones, she trusted him.
So she said, “All right. It’s just…I wish you didn’t have to go. There’s so much to figure out here, and…and everyone here is relying on you.”
“No, they’re relying on you,” Elan said. “I’m just trying to help you.”
“I’m relying on you. I wish…I’m not good at this. Tal would have been so much better at all of it,” Jae said, looking away. She hadn’t said Tal’s name out loud in a long time.
“Maybe,” Elan said. “But he told me, once, he was glad you were the one who’d discovered the magic. Because you’ll always be brave enough to do what needs to be done. And I think he was right, Jae. For whatever that’s worth.”
Jae found she couldn’t quite look at Elan. She didn’t feel particularly brave, and she definitely didn’t feel like a leader. So much of the time, she didn’t know what to do or how to be the person the Closest seemed to need her to be. They needed someone who understood them, was one of them, but could lead them to victory. Ensure that their freedom would last forever. Someone who would win this war for them.
She wasn’t much of a warrior, but Elan was right. The next step had to be getting information—finding out what the Highest were up to so the Closest could prepare. So she nodded again.
“Getting into the city won’t be easy. There are still whole camps outside the walls, they aren’t letting anyone in. But…” She thought. “I think we can manage it. If you really have to get into the city, then I have an idea.”
Elan stared at the slope that hadn’t been there five minutes ago. Jae’s shoulders heaved and there was sweat gathering on her forehead, but that was the only outward sign of what she’d just done—an act of magic that went even further than opening the entrance to this tunnel.
“I’ll keep the water out of this branch until you return,” she promised him. “It’ll be muddy, though.”
He nodded. He was wearing boots but had a bag with sandals and a clean robe he could pull on once he got to the city to hide that he was obviously an outsider. “I’ll be careful.”
“Good. I raised the exit in a park by the channel. No one was around, so hopefully no one will find it and explore in the meantime.”
“All right.” He hesitated. It was just the two of them now, out by the reservoir. She’d asked for privacy, and a handful of Closest had fallen in to keep others from approaching them, including members of the Order. He had no doubt his absence would be noticed, but the information he brought back would be vital. And he didn’t care that much what Lenni thought about his coming and going. Maybe it would be a good reminder that he didn’t quite trust her. That even though the Order had been vital, Jae was the one in charge now.
At least, Elan hoped the Order would realize that—and that Jae would. She hadn’t exactly embraced the role.
He hesitated, looking at the steep slope of the tunnel, then back at her. “You be careful, too. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He held out a hand and she took it, not hesitating. Her skin was rough with calluses. He stepped close, and her eyes opened wide, but she didn’t move. “Jae…”
She didn’t say anything but looked from their joined hands back up to him, so, heartbeat racing, he leaned in and kissed her. Just for the briefest moment, his lips barely meeting hers, awkward with both of their mouths closed.
Her hand clenched his so tight it hurt and her whole body went stiff with tension. He pulled away quickly, wanting to curse himself. He’d thought…He knew how he felt, he’d cared about her for so long, and when she’d started talking about Palma he’d thought maybe…
But she didn’t look excited or intrigued or any of the ways girls usually looked when he kissed them.
“I’m sorry,” he said, stumbling back a step. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
“I…” She was blinking, breathing hard. “I don’t know what…don’t know…”
He hesitated, and it was awful, because she looked lost and he wanted to reach out to steady her. But he was the reason she looked like that. “I should—I should go. I…”
He fell back another few steps, then turned away even though she was still staring at him, until she said, “Wait.”
He stilled, except to look back at her. She didn’t look any less terrified; she didn’t reach for him.
But she said, “Be careful. Come back quickly.”
“I will,” he said. “I promise.”
She swallowed visibly and nodded, and he fled as quickly as he could without breaking into a true run.
The tunnel was actually an aqueduct. Water from the reservoirs served the fields through channels aboveground—but the Well sent water to the reservoirs in giant underground ducts. Jae’s magic made her a master of water and earth and tied her intimately to the Well, so stopping its flow for a day was easy enough, and opening a tunnel down to it from the surface was, too.
Elan carried a torch and his boots squelched as mud tried to suck them off with every step. It was slow going, dark and damp and cold in a way he’d never felt before. The desert nights had been cold but dry. This was something different. He shivered as he walked, and walked, and walked.
It would take several hours to reach the far end. He had to travel all the way to the cities, under half of one, and up to the surface. But he couldn’t take any wrong turns: Jae had closed off the other branches, resculpted the world under the surface to make this easier for him. He wouldn’t get lost, he merely had to walk through this strange, lonely, dismal tunnel.
He wished she was with him, but after what had just happened, he wasn’t sure she’d ever want to be alone with him again. He was certain no one had ever kissed her before—at least, not when she’d had a choice in the manner. Maybe Rannith had.
Rannith had raped her.
; Elan felt sick to his stomach. That had happened to her, and then he’d gone and kissed her, and the fear in her expression told him as clearly as words that he’d been wrong. He’d hoped she wanted him to do it, but she’d had no idea what he was thinking. Elan had seen her angry and defiant plenty of times, and he’d seen her broken and mourning. But he’d never seen her still with terror like that.
Dread wrapped further around him with every step. She was the center of his world, the one thing that had been steady and sure since he’d learned the truth about the War and the rest of it. Jae was always honest, forthright, even brazen. She didn’t trust easily—and that made the fact that she’d come to trust him feel like a gift, one he’d now ruined.
Jae was strong and sharp and fascinating. He had no idea how this war was going to end, what the world would be like in its aftermath, but he knew that, if she’d let him, he would stay by her side. Before, he’d been sure she’d want that. Now…
It seemed like forever later that he felt the tunnel slope upward and saw light leaking down into it. He let out a deep breath, put out the torch, and climbed farther upward. The exit wasn’t as steep as the entrance had been, thankfully, so he didn’t have to scramble quite as much to keep his footing. He listened but only heard distant murmurs, so he swapped out his boots and muddied robe for what he’d carried with him and carefully made his way up into the evening.
It took him a minute to figure out where he was. Yes, in a park, and in Danardae, no less. He could see a bridge in the distance and recognized it as one that led over to Caenn. That meant this park had to be near the fanciest shops and markets, where Andra had her workshop. He knew this area well, which was good—but he might be recognized, which was nerve-racking. Especially since he’d made himself so visible at the Break.
He pulled his hood up and headed toward the edge of the park, keeping to shadows as much as possible. Even out here it was muddy. The park was in bad shape. It wasn’t the one that had been aflame during the Break, but weeks of wind and rain had felled some of the trees, and all the flowers and grass were drowning in mud. It squished unpleasantly underfoot as he walked, mud quickly coating his feet. He should have left the boots on.