They made for the first Kai’s horse. Ildiko managed to evade the second guard long enough to block Ineni. “Please. I beg you. Allow me to kiss her before you leave.”
Ineni hesitated, then gave a quick nod. She didn’t relinquish Tarawin but held her up so Ildiko could press a kiss to her forehead.
“Sweet daughter,” Ildiko whispered against the baby’s skin. “Know I love you.” A soft sob escaped her lips when Ineni pulled away, the first hints of guilt flitting across her altered features.
“I truly wish with all my heart, things didn’t have to be this way,” she said.
Ildiko scowled. “You can still give up this madness. It isn’t too late, Ineni.” It felt so strange speaking to a mirror image of herself and watching the myriad of expressions chase across a face she was only used to seeing in a reflection.
Ineni sighed. “We both know that’s a lie. It was too late the instant the galla stole our magic.” She pivoted around Ildiko to accompany the guard to where his horse waited. He helped her mount, then mounted behind her.
The second guard didn’t give Ildiko a chance to watch them leave. His grip on her injured arm promised more bruises as he jerked her toward one of the columbaria. “Struggle,” he snarled as she stumbled after him, wincing as the hard ground dug into her bare feet, “and I’ll break both your legs. Scream, and I’ll cut out your tongue. The mistress doesn’t need you walking or talking to get more use out of you.”
She couldn’t risk defying him. This guard was far more savage than the first one, and she had no doubt he’d follow through with his threats with relish. He dragged her to the nearest columbaria, shoving the door open with his shoulder. His eyes gleamed like gold coins in the darkness. “Stay put,” he said. “And stay quiet.” Then he slung her inside and slammed the door behind him on a ghostly cloud of dust.
Ildiko listened to his receding steps, gauging the direction he took. If she’d heard correctly, he’d traveled in the opposite direction from where he’d left his horse to graze at the necropolis’s edge. Such knowledge might be of no use to her, but it was something to keep in mind. Ineni hadn’t yet ordered her death, and while she still breathed, there was hope of somehowmaking it out of this disaster alive and finding her way to Brishen.
As her eyes slowly adjusted to her prison’s deeper night, she made out various details. The round room housed a stone bier on which an urn stood in the middle, anchored to the surface by lengths of slender chain. More chains bound the lid closed. A weak shaft of illumination slanted down from the room to the floor, and Ildiko gasped at the sight. There was a hole in the roof, large enough for a person to pass through, and a rope hung from the exposed beams. It swayed gently just above one side of the bier.
Souvenirs from grave robbers no doubt. Whatever treasures had been put in here had long been stolen. She was surprised the cinerary still remained. The door must have been much more formidable then or warded, so they’d cut a hole in the roof and climbed in with the aid of a rope.
Ildiko couldn’t believe her luck. Had her guard crossed the threshold to push her inside, he would have seen the rope and the hole. This was a way out. She just had to reach the rope and climb.
The bier was taller than the sacrificial slab had been, and it took her three tries to hoist herself onto its surface. The rope didn’t hang as low as she’d hoped. Even on her tiptoes, she could barely grasp the dangling end in her hand and didn’t have the strength to pull herself up with such a meager grip. A frustrated growl escaped her lips before she could stop it, and she froze for a moment, hoping the guard was far enough away not to hear her.
Unsure what to do next, she tugged on the rope, lifting her feet so it would bear all her weight. It held as she swung gently across the bier, the joist creaking in rhythmic protest. At least the rope fibers hadn’t rotted through from time and the elements.
She dropped back onto her heels and let go of the rope, freezing a second time when a noise sounded nearby. She listened for the guard’s footsteps but heard nothing outside except the hoot of an owl. The odd noise repeated, louder this time.
The urn, final burial housing for a sorcerer’s remains, was chained not far from where she stood on the bier. As she stared at it, one of the chains rattled, and the urn pivoted ever so slightly on its own, its base scraping against the stone. The scents of ash and old earth assailed her nostrils as the lid tilted, pushed upward by the force of a dry exhalation from inside. Ildiko’s heart leaped into her throat.
She wasn’t alone in this house of the dead.
CHAPTER FIVE
While the forest made tracking more difficult than open terrain, it offered shelter from the harsh noonday sun. Brishen and his companions had taken sanctuary beneath the shade of towering trees to wait out the most glaring part of the day before they continued their search. Dendarah leaned against the trunk of one tree, eyes closed as she dozed.
Brishen, on the other hand, was wide-awake, alternating between pacing and doing his own tracking in the nearby area. During his third foray back to their temporary campsite, Anhuset, who’d been watching him without comment, finally spoke.
“You need to do as Dendarah and sleep, even if it’s only for a couple of hours. This isn’t just running prey to ground. You know how good tracking works. You sacrifice care for speed, and you’ll miss something important. You won’t be as alert if you’re tired. I can stay awake and keep watch.”
Brishen gave her an incredulous look. “I can’t sleep. Could you were you in my place? What if someone had made off with Serovek?”
She snorted. “I’d love to see someone try to stuff that big ox into a haywain and trundle off without anyone noticing. To answer you, probably not, but you need to. Like you, I think we’re headed in the right direction. The fact that this path leads to Orshulgyn isn’t a coincidence, but it might also be a purposeful gull or even a trap. At least give Dendarah an hour or so. You brought her with you because she’s an excellent tracker and because she might recognize one of the abductors. Let her rest so she can complete her task to the best of her ability.”
He sighed and plopped down beside Anhuset where she sat in a patch of grass. “You’re right.” He eyed her, noting the subtle changes in her face, the contentment there just below the surface of her usually grim visage. “Serovek is having an effect on you. When did you become an acolyte for the virtues of patience and caution?”
She ran a hand across her eyes for a moment as if burdened by a memory. Her expression was one of mild horror when she looked at him. “The first time I had to host a tea at High Salure.” She shrugged. “Well, Serovek was the one who hosted it. I just spent the time grinning at everyone invited.”
Considering their present situation, Brishen didn’t think he had it in him to be amused by anything, but her comment made him chuckle. He could imagine the scene—a bevy of aristocratic Beladine men and women gathered in one of Serovek’s lavish solars, partaking of tea and spirits. Or trying to. No doubt there had been much cup rattling and swallowed gasps of terror as Anhuset exposed her sharp Kai teeth to them in a wide, unapologetic grin. He had a very good idea whose influence was at play there.
“I see Ildiko has inspired you,” he said. “Surely the tea gathering wasn’t that bad.”
She scowled at him. “It was the worst afternoon of my life. I’d take pitched battle against a giant scarpatine any day over one of those torture sessions. I usually leave them to our steward who handles such things as if born to them. Should she ever hint at leaving her position at High Salure, I will nail her feet to the floor.”
He laughed a second time and reached out to grip her arm affectionately. “I’ve missed your dour ways. Tell me what havoc you’ve wreaked at High Salure as the Beladine Stallion’s margravina.”
“Ah, gods, never let him hear you call him that. He’ll puff up like a stuffed pigeon and I’ll never hear the end of how his reputation as a magician between the sheets has even reached the Kai royal court.” She gave him a quick wink before launching into an accounting of the months she’d spent adjusting to life as High Salure’s margravina. There was plenty of commentary regarding raids, gambling with the soldiers serving there, complaints regarding an endless parade of Beladine visitors and guests, praise for the new steward who’d taken up the role with quick efficiency, and Serovek’s training of a mare bought from the famed Nadiza’s lightning herd.
