“Those biscuits were goooood,” said Falin, who had sat down unnoticed.
Everyone turned to stare at him.
“What? Why are you all looking at me like that? They
were
good, weren’t they?”
Grimm, who was sitting next to Falin, nodded. “They were delicious. I must have eaten half a plate full.”
Darce shook her head. Ren exhaled loudly. Lily turned back to Ren.
“What happened next?”
“Ember sat down with Cora. They buttered and ate biscuits . . . and chatted,” said Ren simply.
“About what?”
“Hair.”
“Hair?”
“And . . . clothing, the different styles and colors fashionable at court these days. Finally, news arrived that they had gotten in and were hauling Tavin out. So, Cora and Ember grabbed their cloaks and a picnic basket and left. The only thing she told us was to keep the triplets safe.”
“What did you do?”
“There was some debate about that,” said Falin.
“We made Prin stay with the triplets,” said Darce.
“The rest of us left as soon as Cora and Ember turned the corner. We made straight for Byrne’s uncle’s house, where Byrne, Alasdair, and Penryn were staying. Then we backtracked to their house and took every bow and quiver we could lay our hands on. They were mostly just target bows, except for Byrne’s. He’s got a hunting bow with a real draw. From there we ran to the west wall as fast as we could manage.”
“Where was Tavin during this?”
“They were moving him through the streets. They had bound him before strapping him to a stretcher. They had bound his sword, too, with the hilt by his feet. He was delirious. But we got to the wall first.”
“We had planned to set up strategic positions along the wall,” said Darce. “But the blackmage was too much for us. The closer we got . . . it was like a sickness churning through our guts.”
“The fear was something terrible,” said Grimm. “I couldn’t keep the shakes out of my arms and legs.”
“It affected the ones dragging Tavin’s litter, too. They could barely move for shaking as they neared the wall.”
“Tavin was fighting them?” asked Lily.
Ren shook her head. “No. He had no idea where he was, or what was happening. The litter-bearers were just battling that horrible feeling hanging in the air. When they slowed down, Fellbard had to threaten them so they’d get moving again. Even so, they didn’t get halfway before they dropped the litter, running like scared mice. Then that blackmage, he crept closer. Even Fellbard slunk away then. It was the most horrible thing as it approached. Near the end I had a hard time just keeping my eyes open.”
“Then she came,” said Ren softly.
Lily wheeled. “Who? Who came?”
“Illume.”
“Illume,” repeated Lily, and she delved into her childhood memories. “The Peerinteer! She knows Rinnjinn!”
Ren looked up, her cheeks damp. “She came just like in the stories, suffused in a pillar of golden light. Trailing behind her was a swath of green life, bursting with tiny flowers all bright like sunshine was pouring over them. She glanced at me when she passed, but I couldn’t make out her eyes or face, just the shape of her in the light. When she got to the wall’s edge, she stopped.”
“What stories?” Lily wanted to know.
“She was at the battle of Perianth, after nearly all was lost,” said Grimm. “After Wrengfoul had destroyed the locks, there was nothing left to hold back the ocean. The lower townships began to fill with seawater. That was Wrengfoul’s plan, of course. His armies swarmed the high and middle roads, to trap the inhabitants. But a small group of Dragondain, realizing the danger, had positioned themselves on the southern slopes, where a great number of people had been trapped. Illume appeared and held the Gate of Olamar while the Dragondain emptied the streets and buildings, getting the townspeople behind the safety of Perianth’s walls. If she hadn’t held back Wrengfoul’s forces, they wouldn’t have saved more than a handful. Our dad was there. He was only a little older than us.”
“My parents were there, too,” added Ren.
“They were all there,” said Darce. “Even Tavin and Ember. The battle of that gate was the only victory that day. Lot of good it did. The city was still lost in the end, forcing everyone left to flee here to Bairne.”
Falin turned on Darce. “They saved over a thousand lives!” he said angrily.
“They lost thousands more,” retorted Darce.
“Tell me more about the blackmage. What happened with Tavin at the wall?” Lily asked Ren.
“Turns out Illume and the blackmage knew each other,” said Falin. “So they had a little talk.”
And Ren reported the exchange:
“‘Badru!’ Illume said. ‘How good to see you again! I’ve been so looking forward to our next meeting!’ She sounded genuinely happy,” commented Ren. “It was kinda creepy. Badru wasn’t amused, though.
“‘You!’ said Badru. ‘We thought you were dead.’
“‘More like prayed, I expect,’ she said. ‘But I’ve been waiting for
you
, Badru. You and all your ilk. How many are left? Ten? Nine? Soon there will only be eight.’
“‘You overestimate yourself,’ said Badru.
“‘Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure. I have only grown in power since last we met. You remember? How many of your brethren did I destroy that day? There were a
hundred
of you, weren’t there? I took three of you before you realized I was upon you. After that, the rest of them couldn’t rush to their deaths fast enough, could they? How many of you did I strike down that day? What was the final count? Twenty-three? Twenty-four? I never could remember. Now here you are. One desperate blackmage, all by your lonesome.’
“As though in response,” continued Ren, “Badru leapt forward, parting cupped hands, and unleashed a black bolt that traveled through the air with the swiftness of an arrow. It hit Illume in the side, lifting her off her feet and carrying her backward onto the carpet of flowers.”
“That’s when I saw her face,” added Ridley. “The black bolt had lodged in her side, just above her hip, spreading outward and extinguishing her light, exposing what lay beneath. I could see half her face, screaming in pain. It was Mama.”
“Cora?” said Lily, astonished.
“I rushed to her side. I don’t know how I found the strength, but I did it. A lot of things were happening then. Ren came running too. We formed our peerins. I couldn’t understand what I was looking at, not enough to undo it, but I could tell it was getting worse fast. We tried to slow it down, to gain time. It was all we could think to do.”
“Why didn’t the blackmage attack the two of you?” asked Lily.
“Well,” began Ren, “after it struck Cora, it lifted up its face to the sky and laughed the most terrible laugh. I hope never to hear the like again. I’ll never forget it.”
“And that was all Tavin needed,” supplied Grimm with a wicked grin.
Lily turned to face him. “Tavin! You said he was delirious!”
“No question about it. I don’t know how he managed it. Maybe it was just instinct. Maybe a tiny part of his brain caught a glimpse and acted all on its own. Whatever, he sprang upright, a short sword in his hand. Where he got it, only the moons know. The bindings on him, which had looked so tight, must have been loose on purpose.”
“It would appear not
all
of the Dragondain have forgotten,” said Falin.
Darce blew an air of disgust through her lips. “Dragondain! It’s a disgrace to our mothers and fathers to call them that!”
“His bonds didn’t get loose by themselves, Darce! You can’t argue that!”
“Oh, can’t I!” screamed Darce, quickening her step toward Falin, who had leaped to his feet.
Lily stepped between them and threw her arms wide. “Enough!” she yelled.
At first, it looked like Darce was going to bowl Lily over, but at the last second she reined herself in, as though responding to a barked command. Suddenly, Lily wondered just what Dubb might have said to her. Had he given Darce the same speech he’d made the morning after Tavin had paralyzed her? The speech he made just before leaving with Marred and Andros to search for Tavin? “. . . Defend her at the expense of every life—” Had Dubb told his own daughter that? What about the other sons and daughters of the Dragondain?
Darce showed Lily her back, and Falin stood down. “Grimm,” said Lily quietly. “What happened next?”
“Tavin got off
one
swing, and one swing only,” continued Grimm, “but with it he deprived Badru of his right arm from the elbow down. The force of the blow flung his sword loose. Never thought I’d see the day when Tavin dropped his sword. Funny thing, Badru didn’t want to leave without the bit of arm Tavin had cut loose. But Tavin had it by the other end. They were having a tug of war with it when Ember stepped out and cast something. She said, “Rise, Dragondain!” And that horrible dread vanished like it had never been. I’d never felt stronger or more confident.
“Everything was suddenly very clear. Byrne stood up first, cocked bow in hand, and struck Badru dead in the chest. Badru stumbled back, intending to flee to his horse, but we were all upon him before he could get ten steps. There are advantages to wearing no armor, speed being the biggest,” Grimm commented drily.
“Byrne got him twice more, both in the back of the same knee. How he got in those shots and missed all of us, I have no idea. Badru was limping badly, and I reached him first. I ran him through his heart, then twice more for good measure before he fell.”
The courtyard was silent.
“So you saved him?” asked Lily. “You saved Tavin? He’s alive?”
Ren shifted in her seat. “When Badru was struck down, the black thing stuck in Cora’s side weakened considerably. She became all golden again except for right around the wound. Ridley and I continued to pick away at it, but Cora pushed us off. She and Ember moved to Tavin’s side and posted themselves there. Fellbard regained control of his Dragondain. He wanted both Badru’s dead body and Tavin taken to the Palace straight away.”
“What did you do?”
“There wasn’t much to do,” explained Grimm. “As quickly as we could, Falin and I hitched the litter to Badru’s horse. We hoisted Ember and Cora into the saddle, and off they went. I don’t think Cora wanted to leave. Of course, at the time, I didn’t even know it was Cora I was hoisting into the saddle. Only Ridley and Ren had seen her face, and everything was happening so fast.
“I tried to search Badru’s body, but Fellbard ordered one of the Dragondain to strike me down. I took a pommel to the back of my head. It got ugly fast after that. There was a lot of pushing and shouting between us and Fellbard’s Dragondain. In the end, they left with Badru’s body, arm and all.”
Darce quickened her pacing, her hands clenching and unclenching. “We shouldn’t have let them take the body.”
“How could we have stopped them?” demanded Falin. “We were outnumbered, and they were in full armor!”
“We could have . . . done something! Badru might have had something that could’ve helped. Something Raewyn could have used. A spell book, or an amulet. Something!”
Falin shook his head. “Darce, you’re not thinking straight.”
“We should have tried to hold them off while one of us searched Badru,” yelled Darce.
Grimm’s fists were tight in his lap. “Then why didn’t you suggest it at the time?”
Darce stopped pacing and raked her fingers through her short hair. “I—I—I just didn’t think of it until it was too late.”
“We did the best we could,” said Andra.
“We failed Tavin is what we did,” said Darce, her voice breaking.
“Stop it, Darce,” said Ren. “None of this is helping. And Andra’s right. You did the best you could. You’re not Dragondain, Darce, not yet anyway. None of you are.”
“So Tavin is at Raewyn’s?” asked Lily. “Being healed?”
Ren cast her eyes to the floor. They all did. “Tavin’s at Raewyn’s all right—dying.” Ren looked up bravely. “Cora’s going out there today,” she said quietly, “to say goodbye.”
The door to the courtyard opened. Meeri, Min, and Jin came running in and climbed into Grimm’s lap. Grimm, their favorite, was so used to them that he barely noticed their scrabbling onto his thick legs. Lily watched Meeri cup her hand to Grimm’s ear and whisper something. He nodded. Then Cora appeared in the doorway.
“Time to go,” she announced. They all filed out of the courtyard and began collecting the many baskets from the kitchen table.
A small dilapidated wagon awaited them outside Cora’s front door. The animal attached to the front of it could hardly have been called a horse. After much rearranging of feet, knees, and elbows, eventually everyone found a place to sit.
While Cora removed the poor beast’s feed bag, Jin climbed into Lily’s lap, smiled, and whispered in her ear, “He’s here again.”
Lily looked about, but the narrow alleyway was otherwise empty.
“What are you talking about?” Lily whispered.
Jin pointed down the alleyway to a narrow, dark crack that Lily now realized was an even narrower alleyway, one just wide enough for a single person to walk down. But with the angle of the sun and the pitch of the rooftops, the narrow space was black with impenetrable shadow.
Jin looked up at Lily expectantly. “See him? Standing there?” Jin pointed to the dark crack.
Lily didn’t like the idea of being watched by someone who didn’t want to show himself. She lowered Jin’s pointing hand as nonchalantly as possible and pivoted in her seat, angling Jin away from the crack.
“Who is it, Jin?” whispered Lily. “Who do you see?”
Jin craned her neck and twisted in Lily’s lap to get a better look.
“It’s Beck,” she said, and then, as though she had caught someone’s eye, Jin began to wave excitedly toward the shadows.
“Beck?” Lily repeated softly. She knew the name. She’d written it down in one of the little books in her pocket. “Beck,” Lily said softly, half hoping that hearing it might help her place him.
“They’ve been hanging around for days now. They take turns. Newlin comes most nights, all dressed in black. He watches the doors and windows. I think he’s sad.”
Then Lily placed the names: the Lintel twins, the ones who had fought and lost to Annora and Bree. She lunged for Jin’s waving hand and pulled it down. “Jin, I’m not sure Beck is very friendly right now.”
The wagon lurched. The sudden movement caught Lily by surprise, and she pitched forward. As she straightened up, something from the alleyway caught her eye. Beck’s hand emerged from the darkness and gave a little finger wave before vanishing back into the shadows.