The whir of the rope in the pulley buzzed in my ears. My cloak, my hair, everything flew upward as I flew down. The skywalk shook when I landed, and Kazi fell into my arms. “Hold on to me, Kazi! Put your foot in the loop.”
But she didn’t. Her legs didn’t move, and her arms hung limp at her sides. I wrapped my arms around her waist, squeezing her to me, and sent a piercing whistle through my teeth—the signal that I had her and to bring me up. I wasn’t there more than three seconds, a shadow, a trick of the eyes, and then we were flying upward again, and halfway up, the ballast that Gunner and Paxton had shoved from the tembris passed by us—three bound soldiers’ bodies that more than countered our weight.
“Take her!” I said when we reached the top, and Paxton and Gunner hoisted Kazi over onto the limb, then pulled me over too. “They must have drugged her so she wouldn’t struggle,” I said. “I’ll have to carry her.”
The tembris limbs were wide enough for us to run mostly unseen from below, but with Kazi in my arms, I couldn’t jump the gaps and had to carefully navigate them instead. It slowed us all down, sometimes having to hand her over between Gunner, Titus, and myself to cross safely from one limb to the next. Order was already returning below, and a carefully orchestrated theater of citizens directed by Aleski shifted, moved, and absorbed Mason, Synové, Aram, Samuel, and Hawthorne so they would become lost in the crowds. Appropriate horrified screams were offered up for soldiers who had fallen from rooftops, so the king and Banques would know that the citizens were taken as much by surprise as they were. By now the dead ballast we had thrown over was leading some eyes up into the canopy.
“Kazi,” I whispered as we ran. “Kazi!” Her lids were heavy trying to focus on me. I pressed my lips to her cheek. Her skin was burning up. And
then she began shaking. What was wrong? This wasn’t just a drug to sedate her.
Up ahead, we met up with Priya, Wren, and Titus. “How many did you shoot down?” Gunner asked.
“Three.”
“Three.”
“Four. But one of them fell without his launcher, the devil.”
And then panic flooded Wren’s face when she spotted me just behind Gunner and Paxton. She leapt between limbs until she was at my side. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her fingers searching for wounds. “Kazi,” she hissed. Kazi’s head barely turned.
“I don’t know,” I answered, “but we have to keep going. We need to get to the horses before they do.”
I held Kazi tight in my arms as they lowered us to the base of Kalliope. Imara was waiting with the horses. One had been meant for Kazi, but now she would have to ride with me. Titus and Aram had staked out a ruin for us to hide in until nightfall.
I laid Kazi on the ground to do a more careful search for wounds. “You don’t have time!” Imara warned.
But Wren and I pulled away her shirt, and that’s when I saw it—fine, spidering lines crawling up her chest like lace. Poison?
Then I felt the fullness of a bandage beneath her trouser leg. I cut open the fabric and found the first wound. Wren found the other on her arm. Bites. Dog bites. Disbelief flooded through me.
“She’s been bitten by ashti,” I said.
Everyone had circled around us and was looking down at her. “She won’t make it through the night at the ruin,” Gunner said. Priya groaned. “She’s going to need the antidote. Fast.”
“Half their army is already chasing us down,” Titus said. “If we don’t hide out in the ruin until nightfall—” He left the sentence hanging, then cursed.
The only antidote I knew of was in the healer’s bag—in the vault— halfway up the mountain. We’d have to make a run for it in broad daylight.
A decision didn’t have to be made. I began gathering Kazi up in my arms, and Gunner began giving orders. Priya and Paxton would ride forward, he and Wren behind, with me and Kazi in the middle, since it would be hard for me to fend off attacks with her in my arms. Titus would go to the ruin to wait for Mason, Synové, and the others, and tell them what had happened. They would head back after nightfall as planned. He asked Imara to return to town and spread the rumor that riders had been seen on the opposite side of town, heading in the other direction, then he altered our planned route. It would mean crossing two roads, but it would shave an hour off our ride.
Mije stamped as if he knew his mistress was in distress.
Paxton held Kazi in his arms as I climbed up in Mije’s saddle, and once he had lifted her up to me and everyone had mounted, I yelled, “Baricha!” and Mije flew like a winged demon, kicking up the soft dirt in his wake.
Under the best of conditions, it was a three-hour ride from town to the hidden entrance. In some places, a horse couldn’t go any faster than someone on foot. Every time we had to slow, my breath backed up in my chest. How long ago had she been bitten? I had never known anyone who had actually died from an ashti bite before. But my father had. When I was eight and he was teaching me commands and a healthy respect for the dogs, he told me that a friend of his had died from a bite. They were snowed in at a station high above the lumber camp and couldn’t make it down the mountain for the antidote. It’s not something you ever want to see, boy. I wish I could erase it from my memory. His friend died after six days.
This was no accident. Montegue had done this to her. Why? If he had already sentenced her to hang, why would he do this too?
Because she knew where Lydia and Nash were. She knew where the entrance was.
She had information that could destroy my family, and she wouldn’t give it up to him.
Because she had betrayed him and he wanted her to suffer. I kept the anger at a distance for now. I knew it would consume me. For now Kazi was all that mattered. But I knew the rage would come, and then even the gods couldn’t keep me from Montegue.
I pressed my hand to Kazi’s mouth, forcing back her groans.
I’m sorry, Kazi. I’m sorry. Just a few more minutes.
We hid in the trees and undergrowth as a platoon passed on the road that led from the arena. About half of them were on foot, the other half on horses. Two wagons loaded with hay traveled in the middle of the caravan.
“Shhh, my love,” I whispered softly into her ear, trying to soothe her. “Shhh.”
At the same time, I stroked Mije’s neck, willing him not to stamp or whicker. Sound from him might be mistaken for one of their horses, but we couldn’t take a chance.
When they passed out of sight around the bend, we slowly and quietly crossed the road, not wanting even the barest vibration to alert them, and once back in the cover of the forest on the other side, we flew into a gallop.
We made it across the second road that led up to the back side of Tor’s Watch without encountering anyone, but now we were traveling along a narrow ridge single file, and our progress was painstakingly slow. Kazi shook, another spasm squeezing the life from her, her jaw and fists clenching, her moans growing louder, and then she went limp and quiet, which frightened me even more. I checked her pulse. It was faint, like her body was giving out.
“Stay with me, Kazi,” I said to her over and over again. “Stay with me.
We’re almost there.” But we weren’t.
Priya was leading and called back, “How is she?” “Not good.”
Most of the time we didn’t talk for fear of alerting a patrol, but on this sheer, rocky side of the mountain, there was no one near to hear.
I talked to Kazi, unsure if she could hear anything, but hoping it would keep her from slipping away from me. “Besides eating a mountain of feastcake, we’re going to have to dance that jig I taught you. In front of everyone. That means we’ll need to practice. Maybe we’ll teach Wren and Synové too. They’re here with me, Kazi. They’re here for you. We’re all here for you. Stay with us.” I pressed my lips to her temple. “Stay.”
“Or we can dance to this one.” I began humming “Wolf Moon.” I knew it was a tune she liked. “It doesn’t have to be a jig. Anything you want, Ambassador Brightmist. Including that apartment on the upper level. I’ll make sure it’s always stocked with bowls of oranges.”
Summer and winter. Anything.
The narrow ridge finally opened up onto a forest-filled plateau, and I told Kazi, “Hold on, Ambassador. We’re going to fly again. We’re almost there.”
And we almost were.
We rode through a clearing, the falls only minutes away, and I thanked the gods for our clear passage, but I thanked them too soon.
“Behind us!” Gunner yelled. I glanced over my shoulder. Out of nowhere, a patrol appeared, galloping on horses and gaining ground fast, with archers leading the way. Soon we’d be in range.
Wren and Gunner came up on either side of me. “Nine of them,” Gunner called.
“Ten,” Wren corrected. I couldn’t do any fighting with Kazi in my arms, and there was no way the remaining four could take on ten.
Paxton fell back with us. “Ride ahead,” he yelled to me. “We’ll be your cover. With us behind you, they won’t see you veer into the woods. Priya and I will go one direction, and Wren and Gunner the other to lead them away. We’ll keep them on our tail.”
I couldn’t argue. I was of no use to them, and time was running out for Kazi, but I knew they were risking everything.
“Go!” Priya ordered. “Now!”
I rode ahead, holding Kazi tight in my arm, and yelled to Mije, “Baricha!” to push him faster, a command that had saved me once. I prayed it would save Kazi now.
We disappeared into the cover of the forest in one direction, while my family disappeared in the other.
I rode Mije into the cave as far as I could, and now I ran.
“Stay with me, Kazi!” It was no longer a plea, but a command. “Stay with me! Do you hear me, dammit? Don’t leave me!”
There were no more spasms. No more groans. The last time I’d felt for her pulse, I couldn’t find it.
My lungs burned. My arms ached. The torch in my hand shook wildly, scraping walls, sparks showering.
I threw the torch to the ground, then laid Kazi near the door. I grabbed a rock from the cave floor and banged on the wall, forgetting the code.
I gathered Kazi back into my arms.
“Open it!” I screamed, kicking the door. “Open the door! Now!”
It was an eternity before I heard the low growl of a wheel and the door finally opened.
