“By order of Emperor Maicu, son of Yachua, descendant of Inti, and ruler of the united Tawantinsuyu, I hereby sentence you to death by beheading for treason. Effective immediately.”
Ekko screamed something incoherent. Nina covered her mouth. Mamakuna Dusi protested, saying something about how he couldn’t be faulted for doing his job.
It was going much further than Nina had imagined it would, and yet she did nothing but watch as Kasik raised his curved blade and swung it in a downward arc. It screamed through the air, metal glittering, and hugged flesh and bone with a wet squelch. And then there was silence.
Ekko’s eyes were wide. Kasik’s weapon was on the other side of his body, the blade dripping blood. Nina stared as the head slowly slid away and hit the ground with a thud. For a moment, she thought she might be sick. She couldn’t remember ever being so close to death that she was able to smell the blood and see the way life drained from his eyes.
A wave of nausea came over her, and she sucked in a breath and watched Kasik kneel in his victim’s blood, the curve of his blade buried into the ground for support.
Nina blinked, and it was a different boy kneeling at her feet and bleeding in the dirt. She blinked again, and the past disappeared. The emperor’s man pushed to his feet and turned to face the mamakuna. A single drop of blood adorned his cheek like a mark from the gods. Nina fought the urge to reach out and wipe it away.
“I suggest you dig a deep grave, and quickly. The god’s blessing is not enough to keep the things that will consume a body at bay.”
Nina heard the mamakuna shuffle away, then Kamayuq Kasik stepped forward. She remembered thatkamayuqwas a position in the emperor’s army. A commander of men, and now, it seemed, a commander ofher. Nina’s stomach tightened with distrust, but he only lowered his voice and asked, “Is there anything you need to collect before we leave?”
Nina glanced at the garish blood splattered against the soft green grass. She wondered what it felt like to dole out retribution so completely. If it wasn’t for her sister’s soft pleas, Nina would have become familiar with the feeling.
This isn’t you, Sacha had said, but Nina wasn’t sure that was true.
“There’s nothing for me here,” she finally answered, her eyes meeting his with resolve.
The kamayuq nodded once. “The emperor is waiting.”
There was no doubt in her mind that she would follow Kasik. She had no idea who he was, why he was there, or where they were going, but he had taken the life of someone who had laid a hand on her. If it was his duty to protect her, then she would use that to her advantage and take what he was giving her—an escape.
Nina looked to the sky, hoping to get an idea of which direction her home was, but the sun was hidden behind a sheet of gray. If she never saw the color again, it would be too soon.
The ground shifted, and Nina steadied herself with a deep breath. She hadn’t had much to eat or drink beyond the tea while she was locked in that lightless room, and furiously hoped the kamayuq had plans to feed her. She turned to ask him, but he was already stalking away with purpose.
And not toward the tree line, as she had hoped. He was circling to the back of the acllahuasi. Nina ran to catch up with him.
“Where are you going?” she asked breathlessly, having to take two steps to his one. He was much taller than her, which wasn’t saying much as she wasn’t very tall, but he was also wide like a tree. His long hair swayed as he walked, and she wondered whether he had ever needed it cut. If he had ever broken a rule. Most likely not, she decided. He didn’t seem the type.
“Weare going to find Capac, and then we are leaving this place.” She saw him surveying the grounds and the trees beyond. “I told him to stay, but gods forbid he listens when I need him to. Are there stables around here somewhere?”
“I’ve never seen more than the inside of this place,” she replied.
Just as she said the words, a small lean-to came into view. Under the flimsy cover of wood was a familiar black beast, sniffing the ground between its giant paws. She saw the kamayuq’s shoulders drop in relief, and then he was rushing forward.
Nina came to an abrupt stop, ready to turn and run if necessary, but the achipuma saw Kasik coming and merely leaned forward. Then Kasik surprised her by tenderly resting his forehead against the achipuma’s.
It was such a contrast to the version of him she had seen moments before, where he had demanded a man kneel and separated his head from his body. This felt intimate. Like something that Nina shouldn’t have been witness to, and while it was touching, she was desperate to leave and never look back.
She cleared her throat loudly. “There’s only the one?”
“Are you disappointed?” Kasik answered curtly without looking her way.
The first time she had seen one of the gods’ beasts was ten yearsago, when the emperor’s men had ridden into Limac on them. They had seemed larger than life then. Like monsters straight from her nightmares.
When she had seen them again weeks ago, they had been much smaller than she remembered, but no less dangerous. Nina assumed they were meant to strike fear into the hearts of the common people. A show of power from the emperor, and to boast his favor with the gods.
Much to her dismay, it worked. Nina went no closer as Kasik coaxed the achipuma to his feet and then walked back toward her.
For the first time since he had arrived, Nina had a clear view of his face and no reason to look away. His features were large but evenly set. Dark eyes that seemed to be perpetually narrowed in concern. A prominent chin and jaw that flexed with each step he took.
He caught her staring, and one of his eyebrows arched in question. “There’s no need to be afraid,” Kasik said.
“I’m not,” Nina answered automatically. “I’m just remembering how one attacked me the last time I saw it.”
