But his gaze passes over me as if I am a rock or a tree—an inanimate object unworthy of notice.
I deflate with a whimper.
Ghoa takes her place beside him on the stair below me. Her chestnut hair has unraveled from its braid and hangs in her face, but still I see her expression. Changed yet again. Instead of gaping wild-eyed like a frightened horse, her jaw is set and her back is rigid. She speaks in a low, coaxing voice. “I urge you to reconsider, Your Majesty. You’ve said yourself that Enebish is the finest eagle trainer you have ever employed. And she served for many years in the Imperial Army. I beg you to lessen her sentence.”
The king shakes his head and snow sprays from his red fur cap. “What use is a servant who undermines the competition for which my birds are trained? She’s a nuisance. A danger. Both on and off the battlefield.”
“She’s a poor, wounded girl.” Ghoa’s voice breaks, causing the king to look down at her. A flash of unexpected tenderness softens his scowl. “Punish her, of course,” Ghoa continues in a rush, “but let me take her back to Ikh Zuree. You have yet to announce her sentence, so no one will think you weak. I ask this favor as Commander of the Kalima warriors. As your most devoted servant.”
The king studies her beautiful face for so long, the audience begins to murmur. But Ghoa stands tall and steadfast, her eyes locked on the king’s.
“Fine,” he relents at last. “I suppose there’s no need to waste a perfectly good servant. But she must learn her place. No one will interfere with her punishment. Not even you.” He points at Ghoa, then he turns and his finger sweeps across the multitude below. “She will hang for two hours, and no one will approach her. No one will show her mercy. Andyoushall tighten the ropes,” he orders Ghoa.
With a small nod, she mounts the final step to the zurig. Her fingers tremble as they wrap around the rope fastened to my injured arm. “Forgive me, Enebish,” she murmurs.
“It’s not your fault,” I say, wishing I could reach out and take her hand. Give her strength. I even screw my lips into a thin smile. I will not make this worse for her.
“But itismy fault.”
“You were so kind to give us this chance.Ifailedyou.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, lowering her head. Then she hauls down on the rope.
Fiery agony carves through my shoulder. For a moment everything goes black and the marble steps seem to crumble beneath my feet. When my vision returns, the entire royal courtyard is upended and leaning. The torches blur like falling stars. The horrified faces of the crowd mix like butter in a churn, until I see one ugly face. One collective sneer. The winterberry pie I ate threatens to come back up as Ghoa ties a knot and moves to the next corner.
Her fingers hesitate slightly, and the king frowns. “Shall I allow someone else to finish the task?”
Several members of the Kalima step forward, as if waiting for this invitation.
Ghoa glares down at them and yanks the rope with all her strength. I shriek and twist. Tears fog my eyes. But inwardly I thank my sister; her harshest tug is sure to be far gentler than the other warriors’ weakest. Still, the wrenching pain penetrates to my bones. By stretching this arm, the other strains as well, yanking it out of joint. A scream carves up my throat, and I howl until there’s nothing left in my lungs. The sound is monstrous, even to my own ears, and the crowd bleats and brays like a herd of sheep beset by wolves.
“Beast!”they call me.“Destroyer!”The king raises his hands, encouraging them to cheer louder.
One by one, my limbs pull taut until I’m no longer standing on the ground but suspended in the zurig like a five-point star. The weight of my body causes me to list forward and back. Sweat races down my brow, stinging my eyes, and my breath rushes out in big, billowing puffs. I fight and thrash and roar like an animal caught in a snare.
Like a monster.
That tiny admission is all it takes; the wickedness inside me shudders to life, stretching its claws and shaking out its leathery wings.
No, no, no!I tip my head back, begging the Lady of the Sky for strength. Today, Her kingdom is the color of the tiny icicles clinging to the trees—a pale and translucent blue. So beautiful and perfect. Yet painfully far away. Has the sky always been so far? Or has She finally forsaken me too?
Frenzied and hyperventilating, my prayer trails off and I realize I’m alone on the palace steps. Ghoa and the Kalima warriors have followed the king back down to the courtyard, where they will watch me suffer for two long hours.
The minutes limp by slowly. I attempt to count them, hoping it will distract me from the pain and lull the monster into submission, and it works for a time. But as the sun inches higher, sizzling across my skin and blazing into my eyes—intensified by the Sun Stokers of the Kalima—I lose count. My mind warps. The churning in my gut intensifies, as does the insidious clawing at the back of my throat. My tongue is so chaffed and bloated, I can hardly swallow.
With every fresh wave of pain, the monster gains a little ground, climbing my ribs like a ladder. Soon it will tear free of my body, seize my dormant night spinning, and the people in the square will truly have something to scream about.
“Please!” I sob. “Help me.”
Ghoa looks at me with glassy eyes but does not move from her place beside the king.
My breath comes quicker. The monster slithers higher. The more I thrash and squirm to keep it caged, the louder the mob in the courtyard shouts. More and more voices join in, and people start pointing. Though, not at me.
Above me.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Lacquered tiles plummet from the rooftop and shatter around me like golden rain. Maybe the Lady of the Sky heard my prayer after all. This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I asked for deliverance, but perhaps being crushed will be a mercy. Certainly better than harming an entire city of innocent souls.
