“What?” My knees gave way and dumped me back on the outboard. “Last I heard, Merryn was tending him!”
“Merryn was. Said he used every charm and potion he could think of, but Harken just slipped away, like his heart was too wore out to beat any more.”
Nausea swept through me. Harken had been unfailingly kind, even when I’d been a loudmouthed city brat most other drovers would have happily drowned in the nearest stream. “Suliyya grant him rest,” I said, my voice thick. Oh, mother of maidens, I should never have taken this job.
“He was a good man.” Bartel’s son shifted his weight. “I’ve got to get back. My father’s still down. Merryn keeps saying he might recover, but...” He shrugged, helplessly.
I swallowed. “I hope your father makes it.”
Bartel’s son nodded. He turned and left, his shoulders drooping.
Beside me, Kiran stirred. His eyes stayed closed, but one hand clenched on the blanket, and he made a small, pained noise.
I palmed the rune-marked oval of the boneshatter charm. Soon as Kiran woke, I’d demand answers, even if it meant he cast against me in response. And if he’d killed Harken, then somehow I’d make him pay.
CHAPTER NINE
(Kiran)
K
iran struggled back to consciousness. His head throbbed and every muscle in his body felt packed with broken glass. He must have miscalculated the channel pattern for a spell exercise and succumbed to magical overload. Ruslan would be angry.
A rustle of movement caught his attention. He fought to speak.
“Mikail?” His mouth was so dry. Mikail would bring him water, and something to dull the pain. He’d mock Kiran for botching a spell so badly, but his hands would be gentle.
“No.” The voice wasn’t Mikail’s. Kiran opened his eyes, confused. The young man leaning over him had a lean, brown face punctuated by a pair of furious green eyes, a far cry from Mikail’s flat features and gray eyes opaque as stone. The soft glow of lanternlight illuminated stacked crates and the rough wood of a wagon bed. He pushed himself up, ignoring the pain stabbing through his muscles.
“Dev,” he said hoarsely.
“That’s right.” Dev’s voice was cold as a mountain night. “Now you’re awake, let’s get something straight. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I’m done being your blind token. I want answers, or I’ll let Pello tell every last man in this convoy you started that avalanche.”
Memory came crashing back: the oncoming wall of snow, the burning rush of power, the shock of impact. Realization drove the air from Kiran’s lungs. Ruslan was coming. “Oh, no. No, no, no...” He fought free of the blanket with a wild flail of his arms.
Dev backed a pace, his body tensed and his hands spread. Rune-marked silver glittered in one palm. “Don’t like that idea, do you? You did cast a spell, then. Don’t fucking try to deny it, because I’ve seen your amulet. Nobody but a mage could spark a charm powerful as that.”
Kiran mastered the panicked impulse to ignore Dev and run. The runes on Dev’s charm identified it as a crude but effective pain inducer. If Dev used it against him, the effort to block even so minor a charm might send him unconscious again in his weakened state. He’d lost enough precious time already.
“Yes, all right? I used magic, but not to start the avalanche! You don’t understand, I—”
Dev’s mouth twisted. “I understand Harken is dead, without a scratch on him. So are six others. Want to explain that to me?”
Horror chilled Kiran to the core. That inrush of power, so deliriously sweet...his gorge rose. Generous, amiable Harken gone forever, and Kiran hadn’t even realized whose life he’d stolen. “I never meant for anyone to die,” he said, his voice ragged. “The avalanche, it would have killed everyone...I tried to divert it without harming anyone, but I had to work so fast!”
Dev’s eyes turned hard as agate. “Never meant for anyone to die, huh? Except Pello, and anybody else near him when the avalanche hit. Forget about them, did you?”
“What?” Kiran felt as if he’d missed a step on a tower stair. He twisted to look at the intact stacks of supply crates. “What do you mean, when the avalanche hit?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Dev snapped. “At Ice Lake, Pello marked you for a mage, right? You wanted him gone, and you found a way. Maybe you started the slide, maybe you only jumped on the opportunity...either way, you made sure it destroyed his end of the line. But you couldn’t even get that right, you incompetent asshole—Pello survived, and you killed all those men for nothing!”
“I didn’t try to kill Pello!” Kiran faltered on Pello’s name. One slip in focus as he’d channeled the power against the avalanche, and darker desires might well have contaminated his intent. He thrust the thought away. “I acted to
save
this convoy! And to do it, I threw away my only hope, my only protection—” He choked, his panic rising.
Dev’s eyes narrowed to green slits. “Why in Suliyya’s name should I believe you? You’ve done nothing but lie to me from the start.”
Kiran fought to regain control. He had no illusions that he’d be able to cross the mountains on his own. He needed Dev’s knowledge and expertise, or running would merely delay his capture. “You’re right, I’ve lied to you, and I’m sorry. I’ll tell you the truth now, if you’ll only listen!”
Dev crossed his arms, his eyes still cold and unyielding. “Go on, then.”
Kiran sucked in a steadying breath. “I didn’t lie about wanting to reach Alathia unnoticed, but I’m not worried about banking houses. I was hoping to hide from another mage.”
“Oh, that part I figured out all on my own.” Dev’s voice held an edge sharp as obsidian. “Now you’ll say this other mage started the avalanche in hopes of killing you. And you think when he figures out you’re alive, he’ll try again.”
“No, you don’t understand! Ruslan doesn’t want to kill me. He wants to find me. My amulet, the one you saw—it hides me from his magic. But the amulet can only conceal me if I don’t use magic myself. When I blocked the avalanche, for Ruslan it was like...like a signal blaze in the Aiyalen Tower. Now he knows exactly where I am, and he’ll be coming, as soon as he can prepare and cast a translocation spell.” Kiran couldn’t keep his breath from coming faster. “You have to get me away from here. The amulet can still protect us, if we hide in the mountains. He won’t be able to find or strike at me directly with magic—or you, so long as you stay near me. But the amulet won’t help if he can see us in the ordinary way! We have to run, right now!”
“You mean
you
have to run.” Dev glared at him. “I agreed to help you sneak past the Alathians, not escape from a mage ready to dump a mountainside on my head!”
“He’ll find out you helped me leave Ninavel. He’ll kill you for that, if you don’t run with me. Not a fast or easy death, either. Magic can bring agony greater than any you can imagine. And Ruslan is...inventive.” Alisa had screamed long after her voice gave out, her mouth gaping in agonized, airless cries. The sight haunted Kiran’s dreams.
“Maybe I’ll offer to help him, instead of you.” Cold calculation gleamed in Dev’s eyes. “You’re too weak or too afraid to use magic right now, aren’t you? Otherwise you’d be casting spells on me instead of talking. Seems to me my best chance of survival might be in joining the guy most likely to win.”
Kiran’s chest constricted. All his fears were coming true; and Dev was right, he didn’t dare attempt a working in his weakened state. Chill sweat trickled down his back. He had to convince Dev; he had to. “I know you need money. You’ll get none from Ruslan. If you’d sent him word of me before the avalanche, he might have rewarded you then. Now, all you’d receive is your life, and perhaps not even that.”
Kiran leaned forward and drew out his amulet. “If you guide me the rest of the way to Kost, you can have this once we cross the border. I know it’s worth a lot. Between that and Bren’s money, you’ll gain a fortune if you help me.”
Dev stood silent, his head lowered. Kiran’s pulse drummed in his ears.
“Tell me something,” Dev said. “If you’re so desperate to hide from this guy, why’d you go mess with the avalanche?”
“I couldn’t let all those men die.” Kiran hesitated. “I know what you must think of me, after...after Harken, but I’m not like Ruslan. I’m not a murderer!”
“Wish I could believe that,” Dev muttered. He studied Kiran, a deep frown line etched between his brows. “You claim Harken and the other deaths mid-line were—what? The result of some kind of fuck-up of yours in the spell casting?”
Kiran swallowed. He was fortunate that Dev knew too little of magic to understand what the deaths implied about Kiran’s methods. It was true enough that if he’d drawn power with more skill, the men might yet live. “Yes. I told you before, I had to work too fast to block the avalanche. If only I’d had more time to cast the spell...but if I hadn’t cast at all, far more would have died.” Why couldn’t Dev see that he’d saved far more lives than he’d taken?
Dev’s frown remained. “Why’s this Ruslan so hot to find you?”
Kiran twisted the crumpled blanket in his hands. He’d have to tread cautiously, to have any chance of Dev’s help. Perhaps a series of carefully chosen truths, rather than a lie...
“When two mages work together, spells can be cast beyond the ability of either alone. Joining mind and power so closely with another is difficult and dangerous, but I have certain...skills in this area. Ruslan wants my cooperation in his spellcasting. But the spells he casts...he seeks power without any regard for others, and kills for the pleasure of it. I’d rather deny my magic than use it in service to him!”
Kiran halted; tried to gain control of his breathing.
“Let me guess, Ruslan’s not the sort of guy who takes no for an answer,” Dev said.
“His strength far exceeds mine; I can’t hope to stand against him. If he finds me now, he won’t ask. He’ll simply rip my mind apart until I have no will left to resist him, and make me his creature entirely.” Desperation filled Kiran at the thought. “You have to help me, please!”
Dev was silent again. At last he huffed out a sharp breath. “Fine. I’ll run with you, do my best to get us safe to Kost. But not because I think you deserve help—all I want is my payment.”
Kiran shut his eyes, dizzy with relief. Dev could think what he liked, so long as they escaped Ruslan. “I understand.” He gathered his strength, and tottered to his feet. “I’m ready to leave.”
“Not yet, you aren’t.” Dev scowled at him. “I get you think this Ruslan could spell himself here any minute, but there’s no way in Shaikar’s hells I’m leaving without proper supplies. I’ll work fast as I can, but I need time to pack.”
“But—”
Dev cut him off with a sharp slash of his hand. “I mean it. Otherwise, go throw yourself off the nearest cliff, because that’s a better way to die.” He heaved a supply sack down off the wagon bed. “I want to warn Cara and Jerik about him, anyway—”
“No, you can’t!” Kiran grabbed Dev’s arm. “The less they know, the safer they’ll be. Ruslan will search their thoughts when he arrives. It won’t be pleasant for them, but if he finds they know nothing of my identity and weren’t involved, they’ll survive the experience.”
Dev wrenched his arm from Kiran’s grasp. “Fuck that! Ruslan’s gonna be mad as a stinkwasp when he finds you gone. They deserve the chance to get the hell away before he comes, same as us!”
“You’ll guarantee their deaths. Ruslan will hunt down any who leave the convoy, and they’ll have no way to hide, or defend against his magic. I know you fear for them, but truly—their best chance of survival is to remain here, unknowing.”
Dev raked his hands through his hair, and glared at Kiran. “You’d better be right, damn you. Harken’s death is on your head already; don’t think I’ll forget.”
Guilt stabbed Kiran again. “I won’t either,” he said, wearily.
“By the way, I wasn’t kidding about Pello, earlier. He thinks you tried to kill him, and he’s not a happy man. He searched you while you were out; I stopped him from anything more, but I hope you’re not missing anything important.”
Pello had become the least of his worries. Nevertheless, Kiran put a hand to the amulet. Glowing lines of force traced delicate spirals on his inner sight. The pattern remained intact and the energies flowed unhindered. “The amulet is the only charm I carry, and it shows no sign of tampering.”
Dev’s scowl didn’t lessen. “Pack your gear, but stay in the wagon. If you hear anyone coming, pretend you’re still unconscious.” He pointed at the amulet. “And for Khalmet’s sake, put that thing away.”
***
(Dev)
Gods, I had to be out of my mind. Running for the Alathian border with an untrustworthy, half-assed excuse for a mage, while some scary bastard hunted us with the gusto of a hungry sandcat...I’d taken some crazy risks in my time, but this had to top them all. Slim chance of a payoff, but slim was better than none. Melly’s fate still lay in my hands, and I owed Sethan far too much to break my vow to him out of simple fear.
On the bright side, leaving the convoy would solve another problem. Kiran’s panic had clearly shoved all other concerns clean out of his mind, but I knew better than to ignore the threat of an alive and angry Pello. The bastard was probably accusing us to Meldon right now. And whenever Ruslan showed up, Pello’d be happy to help him hunt us.
On a solo trip three seasons ago, I’d discovered a climber’s shortcut across the high peaks barring the way on the other side of Garnet Canyon. The route wasn’t easy. I remembered miles of steep scrambling over unstable talus, and one serious climb. I’d never tried the route this early in the season, when treacherous snow coated the cliffs. But nobody else in the convoy should know of it, not even Cara, and it’d let us reach the border in days, rather than the week it’d take for even a flat-out ride on the trail.
I thought of Kiran’s sunken cheeks and unsteady hands, and grimaced. I had serious doubts about his ability to handle the rugged terrain off the trail, let alone climb in his condition. Damn it, I’d haul him by main force if I had to. If he was so desperate to reach Kost, he’d find a way to manage.
I sorted through equipment, throwing gear down into a pile on the ground. A full length rope, ice axes, extra cords, short lengths of rope to make harnesses, a set of fire stones, heavy clothing, food, waterskins...the pile grew. I snatched up our largest pack and jumped down off the wagon.