“Maybe that’s exactly what we should do,” Kaïs said slowly. “Have them recognize me.”
Linn frowned at him.
“A distraction,” he clarified. “We split. I go after them, hold them up for as long as I can, and you take a detour. Deliver the message.”
She hesitated. “There are at least twenty Imperial Patrols to one unit.”
Kaïs’s eyes were calm, a sparkling blue of sunlight lancing off a stream. “I’ll bet they won’t put up half the fight you did.”
She wanted to tell him no, it was dangerous, that twenty against one were no odds at all. But Linn thought instead of the quiet certainty he’d conveyed to her in his words since the very start of their relationship, back when he’d fought her tooth andnail on top of the Salskoff Palace walls. All along he’d acted with the instincts of a soldier. An unspoken respect, from one warrior to another.
And she would honor him by doing the same.
Linn stood, and he, too, rose to his feet. There was the hiss of metal as he unsheathed his swords, steel flashing in the Kemeiran sun.
He turned. For a moment, she thought of calling after him, of bidding him luck with a Kemeiran greeting, but that would not have been fitting. Neither would a Cyrilian one. And Linn knew no Nandjian sayings.
Besides, he had no need for one. His strength was enough.
Linn turned. She could not fail on her part.
The quickest way through Bei’kin, one of Linn’s Wind Masters had once told her, was not by the main road, nor on the ground at all. It was over the roofs. They stretched, curving generously over streets so that the gap between each one was narrow enough to be bridged with a slight leap.
To Linn, the rooftops were freedom. She kicked off against a windowsill in the back alley, caught the low tapering end of the roof, and using the forward motion, swung herself up. Then she was off, sun warming her cheeks, wind streaming through her hair, the city opening before her like a patchwork quilt.
The Temple of the Skies loomed ahead, drawing closer with every step. She could make out the white clay walls of the courtyard, the gray stone and winding streams and trees bending to the wind. Looking farther, she saw the Ever-Burning Torch, flames streaming in the azure sky, and then the Cup of Gold. Kemeiran wielders believed in the unity of the Five Elements that gave rootto life: earth, water, air, fire, and gold. Each was present in every single Temple across the kingdom.
Directly facing the road was a set of round courtyard doors, cinnabar red. They were currently sealed shut, gold lion knockers firmly locked in place. Wielder guards lined the outside, stationed every three paces along the stretch of wall as far as the eye could see.
She needed to get past the guards. Instinct told her to make a run for it and leap over the walls. Yet Linn’s fingers brushed against Gen’s wooden token, resting against her collarbone. She felt the grooves of the Kemeiran characters against her skin, written vertically like a waterfall or a bloom of flowers compared to the Cyrilian script.Bei’kin Shiu’gon.
She would not enter the Temple of the Skies, the most venerated location in the entire Kemeiran Empire, like some backdoor thief. She’d go in with a straight spine and honor in her steps.
Linn dropped from the roof, landing evenly on the street. Then, she walked up the steps that led to the gates of the Temple of the Skies.
The guards watched her as she approached. They wore loose silk shifts with silver sashes tied to their waist. There were no weapons visible on them, but that was simply the Kemeiran way: You felt the dagger before you saw it.
Linn touched her fist to her palm in a salute. “Respected wielders, I come to seek an audience with the esteemed Temple Masters. I bring urgent news.”
The one closest spoke. His sash was gold, indicating that he held the highest rank among them. “The Temple of the Skies is not open to the public at this time.”
Linn inclined her head. “My name is Ko Linnet, wind wielder.” She reached into the folds of her shirt and drew out the lacquered token. It hung, spinning gently in the morning light. “I bring urgent news of a potential attack from Gen Fusann.”
Recognition flickered in the guard’s eyes as he studied the characters on the token, assessing its authenticity. Satisfied, he leaned back with a sharp nod. “You may relay the information to me, and I will take your message to the Temple Masters for consideration.”
Linn swallowed. She’d been counting down the seconds since she had left Kaïs, reaching as far back with her winds as possible to feel any stirrings. There was no telling when the Imperial Patrols would arrive.
But this was perhaps the only way.
As quickly as she could, she relayed the events of the past two weeks. “They search for the Heart of the Gods and are on their way to the Temple of the Skies,” she finished.
The guard had remained silent as she spoke, his face as still as the surface of a glass-smooth lake. Only his eyes glinted like black steel. “Very well. Wait here.” From within the folds of his shift, he drew a set of golden keys. Then, he turned to the doors and called: “High Guard Innen Yunn requests to enter with an urgent message!”
There was a responding call from inside; the High Guard inserted his keys and twisted. Then, he pushed open the red courtyard doors.
That was when Linn felt it. Heard it. The whistle of a blade slicing through the wind at her back.
Linn reacted instinctively. She leapt, pulling on her Affinity,arcing her body. As she flipped in midair, she saw, as though time had slowed down, the arrow shoot past where she had been standing.
