Finally, after at least two hours, I didn’t have to feign exhaustion, and my constant yawns made talking difficult. I let my head nod and pretended to be asleep when the regent came close. His fingers stroked my hair and I had to steel myself not to flinch.
“What a waste,” he muttered. “That pesky Omega biology. Pity I can’t have a little fun, but if Talon ends up liking you… No.” He sighed like he’d made a decision. “Lieutenant, carry her to her room. Our favorite pirate is never far from the island. One of you send up a signal, and I’ll have him take her to Wyngel tomorrow. Their king will take her off my hands and open up our trade routes as promised.”
Inwardly, I cursed in all seven languages I knew as they carried my limp body and tucked it into the bed. I lay still for at least a half hour, thinking. Planning. What did I know, what were my goals, and what did I have to work with?
I knew that Thorn was hurt. He would never leave his cloak, with all his hidden weapons, unless he were in desperate straits. Kavin was in a pit somewhere, most likely sedated. Who knew if he would drown? The regent was just insane enough to kill a visiting scholar, and had no idea Kavin was anyone of note. He did know who I was, and who Thorn was, and I only had until morning to get out of this room, or I would be too far away to help, stuck on some pirate’s ship.
My goals were to find Thorn and make sure he was well enough to travel, find and free Kavin, and get Altair away from Gullen, though that one might have to wait.
Although Altair apparently had plenty of supporters in the form of the servants. He wasn’t sedated now, and he would have vast knowledge of the island, and where Kavin and Thorn might be. He was as much a hidden weapon as the poisons and herbs in my cloak, which the regent had not confiscated, thank the Goddess.
So, I had my poisons, my weapons, my skills, and—possibly—Altair.
No one was in the room with me, but I made sure to slip to the floor, and re-blocked the spyholes. I made another false sleeping form under the sheets, hacked off a length of my hair, and left it sticking out of the top of the covers in case a conscientious guard came close enough to check the bed.
Then I gathered up my belongings and slipped out to ask a favor of the man who had just a few hours before begged me to kill him.
Outside, the jungle was alive with strange bird calls, humming insects, the ever-present pound of the distant surf, and the much closer rush of wind in the treetops. No one heard me leave my room, and no one saw me as I slid from one shadow to the next on my way to Altair’s bower. The Guild’s training hadn’t been for nothing, then. I just prayed that I would have the chance to use some of my more esoteric knowledge to pay Gullen back for his crimes.
I was at Altair’s side before I could decide if adderbane or verlana sap would be a more torturous, lingering death for Gullen.
Altair’s eyes snapped open when I pressed my hand over his mouth to keep him from crying out. “It’s me. We have a problem.” His eyes glittered in the dark as I explained what had happened. “Will you help me?”
His answer was instant. “Of course. Your friend Kavin is most likely in one of the pits on the western edge of the island. They fill with water at the tides, so I hope he can swim.”
“He’s sedated, so he may not be able to do much but float.” I hoped he would, anyway. I wasn’t short, but Kavin was a redwood. There was no way I would be able to haul him through the surf.
“Good enough. This time of year, the tides are milder. Though there may be guards.”
I held up a dagger that glittered with the same dark light I saw reflected in his eyes. “Not a problem.”
“Goddess, you’re amazing,” he breathed. “Help me dress.”
There were no extra clothes for him, and all he had on was a loose cotton shirt, so we fashioned a sort of sarong out of his sheet. I winced as I realized he would have to go shoeless on feet that hadn’t been used for walking for a very long time. Quickly, I cut strips from the bamboo screen and some longer fabric ribbons from another sheet, and fashioned a pair of rudimentary sandals.
“Resourceful,” he murmured, slipping them on. Even the act of putting on the shoes was taxing for him.
I held out my arm. “Lead me to the pits. Once we get Kavin free, we’ll locate Thorn.” I refused to think we might be locating his body. He had to be alive. He was Thorn; he was unbeatable.
* * *
Altair might have been physically weakened,but his determination to help me seemed to override his physical limitations. He ran almost as fast as me for the first stretch, weaving in and out of the thick-planted shrubs and trees. The night was moonless, and he led us through the darkest patches of shadows, past a large village made up of palm-thatched huts. I felt sharp shells crunching under my sturdy boots and hoped the sandals I’d made were holding up.
He never complained as we hurried down overgrown alleyways and crossed broad streets, keeping to the edges as much as possible. We traversed three broad fields—my heart beating fast at being so exposed—before the crash of the waves was loud enough to cover my breathing.
“There,” Altair panted, pointing across the beach to a shining torch stuck in the sand. “There’s one guard.”
And then he collapsed onto the sea grass.
“Goddess help me,” I grunted as I lifted him under the arms and dragged him up against a palm. I sent up a quick prayer that he hadn’t harmed himself in any way—with as much poison as he’d ingested over the years, the strength of his heart was in some doubt. “Stay here.” He gave me a weak smile, and then his eyes fluttered shut.
Shit. He had to wake back up; I would need his help for the next part. I hesitated for a moment, then reached into my cloak for a packet of cofi root.
Thorn had warned me not to take this herb often, as it could be addictive. In an emergency though, it gave the user strength, energy, and a feeling of invincibility. But it was bad for the heart.
So was a sword or spear, stuck right through it, I finally reasoned. And Altair would rather die than return to his comatose prison.
“Here.” I stuffed a pinch of the dried root into Altair’s mouth. “Chew this well, and don’t ask for more. Swallow the pulp when you’re done. In about twenty minutes, you’ll feel like you can fly. You will be convinced you can.” I stared into his shadowed eyes. “Do not try to fly. I’ll be back with Kavin by then, and I’ll give him a pinch, too. Then we’ll figure out how to save Thorn.” He started chewing but closed his eyes again.
