I give him a boost, and he uses brute force to smash his way up, scraping against the stonework and barely biting down a yell. I have my two arms on the flat of the roof and am trying to hoist myself up. Isagani grabs at my shirt and tries to haul me over.
‘Get your legs up higher!’ Isagani calls desperately.
I grab Finlyr’s flailing legs and help him get his arms anchored on the ledge so he can raise himself up. He wriggles like a tamaraw wrestling in mud.
He’s just out of my arms when the Seaguardians burst through the door.
‘Found ourselves a warm body,’ one of them says, and I turn around.
‘Any reason you’re alone in the dark, my pet?’ says another.
‘Stargazing.’
‘Beautiful,’ the first one snarls, shoving me out of the way. He looks out of the window, surveying the area.
One of the other Seaguardians staggers towards me, the smell of palm liquor on his breath. ‘Want to join us for a round, sweetheart?’
I shake my head, and he pushes me against the wall.
‘That’s not very comely of you.’
I whip out my dagger and place it under his jaw. ‘Get your hands off me.’
‘I’d love to know where you were hiding that,’ he croaks, trying not to bob his apple too close to the blade.
I bring the blade closer, nicking his skin.
The other Seaguardians turn now, hands on their hilts. ‘Drop the knife, lass.’
I drop the knife and catch it in my other hand, close to the guard’s nether regions. ‘Would you rather lose these or your life?’
He backs off at last. ‘Wouldn’t fuck an ugly broodmare like you anyway.’ He scowls and throws the near-empty bottle on the floor, sending glass smashing and liquor flying. I turn and cover my face as tiny pieces bury themselves in my skin.
‘Let’s get the rest of the liquor and head.’
The drunken one makes a lewd gesture, but they leave, laughing and spitting as they stagger down the stairs.
‘Bunch of bastards,’ Isagani says, once they’re out of earshot.
‘Ris, are you all right?’ Finlyr asks, descending the wall.
‘I think so,’ I say, examining the shards. ‘Didn’t expect I’d have a blade.’
‘I hope they choke on their own sick.’ Finlyr sneers. ‘Let me get those out.’
His touch is careful as he extracts the fragments of glass. They’re mostly in my forearms, the rest of me covered by my clothing.
‘I’m so sorry, Ris,’ he says quietly as he dabs the wounds with a clean linen.
chapter twenty-five
finlyr
I wake early froma restless sleep, feeling sore and tender, but the inn is peaceful and still. Isagani is nowhere to be found, so I wander into the town square, cloak tied close around me and my hood up. The weather is bright but chill as I make my way to the harbour. I drink piyata tea from a flask, sweet and earthy, with the leaves steeping gently at the surface.
I see a figure peel away from an alley, emerging into the light of the main streets. It’s only then I glimpse the others loitering against a wall, barely moving. The person strolls across the street, moving towards the harbour. They survey the seafront, breathing in the briny air.
‘Nice view and all that,’ they say.
