“I swear it,” Adela emphasized. “On all my treasure, I will return your magic.”
“Swear it on the lives of your crew,” Eira whispered. That was Adela’s real treasure. They were the ones who did her deeds and guarded her name and wealth.
Loyalty has a cost, Adela.
The pirate queen’s lips parted slightly and every carefully curated mask fell away. The tension slipped from the muscles of her face.
She smiled, and this time it was not sinister. This time there was almost a proud glint to her eyes. “You learn fast.”
“When I must…” Eira swallowed thickly. “When I have a good teacher.”
“I swear it on my treasure and my crew, Eira Landan. I will do everything in my power to return yours.”
That was all Eira needed. She stepped away and Adela let her go. Eira shared one last look with the pirate queen. One stare to encompass the words:Don’t you dare betray me. But the feeling seemed to be mutual.
Eira turned, and began to run.
Rather than taking the docks, she leaped from the high vantage onto a nearby roof. The docks were certain to be crowded, thickening further with people, as the commotion grew along the river and in the streets. The tightly packed rooftops, however, were completely vacant.
The thatching and wooden shingles had gone soft with the rain and Eira wobbled as she landed. With a pinwheel of her arms, she was able to find her footing again and she was a blur in the night.
Weeks of training, days of fierce competition, constantly looking over her shoulder, had all paid off. With every forceful landing of her feet against the rooftops, she felt nearly unstoppable, even without her magic. Jumping from roofs to balconies was almost effortless.
Confused diners shouted as she sprinted around their tables across a second-story balcony. She’d caught up with Olivin and Yonlin. They were in the thick of the market, slow to progress, as she’d expected.
“Olivin!” Eira shouted. His attention swung up to her, a flash of confusion and then a softahof comprehension. Eira pointed at a second-level doorway. “There!”
Further communication wasn’t necessary. Olivin grabbed Yonlin by the hand and abruptly changed their course. He pushed his way through the crowd as Eira jumped from the balcony she was on and grabbed the nearby roof. With a swing of her legs, she was able to get a knee up and scramble on. By the time she made it to the gutter above the doorway, Olivin and Yonlin were there.
Eira stretched a hand down and Olivin swung up first. They both reached back and practically pulled Yonlin up with upper-body strength alone. Wasting no time, Eira began running again, the two men behind her.
They’d managed to catch up to the boat. An explosion of fire burst from its starboard side. Eira wanted to stop, to get a closer look at the combat unfolding. But she didn’t dare slow her pace. The Pillars had no doubt engaged them. That, or the law of Ofok had taken stock of the commotion and were getting involved as well.
Or both.
Either way, her friends could take care of themselves. But what they couldn’t do was open the gate looming ahead of them. A task Eira was left to figure out on her own.
“Plans?” she panted.
“Yargen if I know!” Olivin’s dark hair was slicked against his face. He brushed it back, trying to get it out of his eyes to little avail. “Get in there, by force if we must, and make them lift the portcullis again.” He glanced at her from the corners of his eyes. “Are you going to be all right doing this? Without your?—”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted before he could finish. Yes, her magic was gone, but she wasn’t worthless. Eira continued before he could misplace his concern again, “Could you just shatter the iron with magic?” She had been feeling strong, until she tried to talk while keeping her pace. But Eira didn’t let up.
“It won’t work. Look—there—the joints. The arch.” Olivin wasn’t able to be very descriptive while running, but he didn’t have to be. This close to the gate, she could see what he was pointing out.
“Runes.” Yonlin could only manage the single word.
Eira remembered the runes in the coliseum—what was supposed to help strengthen, but in actuality helped bring the whole thing down. She doubted the same weakness was perpetuated here.
“Breaking through those will require an incredible burst of magic… You wouldn’t happen to have any flash beads on you?” Olivin asked.
“Why, of course, I just keep a handful in my back pocket.” Eira gave him a look to convey how ridiculous she found the question.
“The sarcasm is not helpful.” Olivin jumped and extended a hand back for her. Eira wasn’t too proud to accept the help. Their fingers closed around each other and he pulled her to him. The sensation of their bodies flush was emphasized by heaving chests and the sizzle of cool rain on hot skin. In a second, she was back against the wall in Champion Village. His mouth on hers…
Before the moment could linger, they split apart and both reached for Yonlin.
“The winch to lift it should be up there.” Yonlin pointed to the top of the arch as he got his footing. They carried on. “Think of it like a spindle and thread, two chains attached to the iron grate. If we can get to it, we could alternatekot sorreto push the wheels that will make it rise. We’ll also need to disable the quick release.”
