Hundreds of panicked people were filling the streets; it was so crowded that I had to push my way through them as I moved upstream with the sword in my hands. Less than a minute later, I encountered the first soldiers.
I knew how Endrick arranged his armies. He sent his weakest into battle first, expecting them to die but hoping they would force the enemy to reveal their strength. This first wave would all be Ironhearts, soldiers he considered expendable--tools more than living beings. They were dangerous because of their numbers, not their skills.
Darrow's training entered my mind. "Be aware of your surroundings, but focus only on the enemy closest to you."
So I did. I charged directly into the first soldier, a shorter boy who should've held a plow rather than a weapon, and stabbed him in the arm. He wasn't the first person I'd stabbed, or wanted to stab in the last few days. I would have to reevaluate my personal ethics on fighting ... later. Directly behind me, a second soldier raised his arm, volunteering the weakest point of his uniform to my sword. A third man had initially passed me by, but returned when his companions fell. He was a bigger challenge, but everything Darrow had ever taught me came to my mind. Feint when they thrust. Parry every blow. Look for their pattern, because everyone fights with a pattern, and then use that against them. And if you want to be good, then be the exception and never fight with a pattern.
As soon as the third man fell, I waded farther upstream through the crowd, but now other Silvenians were fighting with me. The second group of soldiers we encountered was larger, and far more skilled. Some had the glazed look of Ironheart soldiers, but not all. Worse still, this group carried lever blades, larger and newer than Gabe's. I had to be careful.
So I attacked from behind, choosing my targets carefully. My biggest mistake cost me a scratch to one arm from a lever blade that its user separated too early. I answered with a stab wound of my own, one given with little mercy because the scratch was deep enough to scar, and I resented that. Two Silvenians beside me fell, dispatched by a large soldier who turned my way, only to be stabbed in the back by a Silvenian woman. These people were rallying to save their town, but where were the Coracks?
Coracks rarely fought in open battles. They didn't train that way, and the general belief was that they had neither the numbers nor the weapons to compete with Endrick if it came down to an open battle, as this one was.
But here, their homes and families were threatened, and, I assumed, the bulk of their weapons and storehouses. Surely they would not run and abandon all of that.
Simon wouldn't run, I knew that. But where was he?
And where was Darrow? Had he escaped that underground room? I needed to know for sure.
I began running back toward the bookshop, but as I did, a screech echoed overhead. Condors. By my count, at least ten of them.
The first bird flew low, creating a shadow that stretched as wide as the road. I shuddered, seeing a rider on its back, wearing Endrick's colors. Bringing Endrick's doom. As dangerous as the condors had been when Simon and I were forced to escape into the forest, it was their riders who had the power to destroy whole towns.
Condor riders placed small cannons onto the backs of their birds, capable of spitting out fire pellets like a hailstorm. Simon's sword could swat away the pellets that came from a revolver, but even a hundred swords couldn't counteract the scattershot from cannons. These cannons would have caused the explosion up the road, destroying buildings, flushing out all those in hiding. Killing those who could not leave.
Darrow.
If I had not yelled at Celia, she would have been with Darrow. She could have helped him escape. Why had I been so foul to her?
Another explosion shook the earth behind me. "Take cover!" I yelled to anyone within reach of my cry.
In addition to the cannons, each rider held a disk bow. To my horror, they were firing down black disks like flower petals at a wedding. Each disk greeted its victim with slashing wounds that left screams all around me, including one man who had been running at my side. That disk could have been meant for me.
Silver disks would have been bad enough. They had injured Darrow and killed the garrison who had been escorting me out of the Lava Fields. Silver disks were dangerous, but they weren't magic.
Dominion soldiers carried disks created by Lord Endrick, ones that showcased his cruelty. There were disks of many different colors, but black disks were among the worst. They brought instant death, no matter where the victim was hit. The other colors' effects had never been explained to me, and I didn't want to find out.
Suddenly, an explosion above sliced through the air and I instinctively ducked, covering my head with my arms. Pieces of the wooden buildings flew apart, their planks bursting from within. The flying shrapnel hit at least one condor, felling it. Its rider was instantly attacked and his blades stolen by the Silvenians. When it was safer, I stood again, keeping my sword ready with one hand, but with the other, shielding my eyes to better see what had happened.
The explosion revealed an enormous series of small cannons on rotating platforms and at varying heights. Their operators, almost certainly Coracks, began firing at the condors, hoping to chase them away. The condors tried fighting back, but were repelled by the cannons. Never in my life had I seen such a thing, or even conceived of it.
The Coracks might prove effective against Endrick after all.
Then from the distance the sound of barking dogs could be heard, running toward us. More dogs than I could count ran into the battle, immediately attacking the legs of the soldiers, bringing them down and dragging them away. They left everyone else entirely alone.
About fifty or sixty Silvenians had joined me this far into battle, all of them standing by, watching the dogs, as I was doing. It was better to let the Coracks take over now.
I ran again, pushing through the crowd, retracing my steps toward the bookshop. The condors hadn't gotten this far south yet, and I hoped the Coracks would keep them busy where they were.
The fallen wagon where I had stood was just ahead, though someone had moved it to act as a sort of barricade where a group of children were hiding. No, that wouldn't be good enough.
"Run!" I called to them. "You must leave town."
The older ones took the younger children by the hand or in their arms. "Don't stop running until it's quiet," I told them. "Be brave."
And then I gave myself the same advice. The bookshop was just ahead. I harbored all my courage, or what was left of it, and tightened my grip on the sword. I had to get in and out before any condors came.
But as I ran, I heard a single screech overhead, piercing the air and sending a spike of fear through me. Run faster, I told myself. Get to Darrow.
I put a hand on the bookshop door, but as I did, a boom from cannon fire filled the air above me. Before I opened the door, the bookshop itself exploded. The blast threw me backward, almost to the middle of the road, the air bursting from my lungs.
Even as I lay there, reeling from disorientation, one thought broke through.
Darrow.
I screamed and flew to my feet, dizzy from shock and with my ears ringing like steeple bells. I wasn't steady, but at least I was moving.
The bookshop was gone, nothing more than strewn pieces of brick, long splinters of broken wood, and shards of glass. What didn't explode outward had collapsed into a deep hole in the ground where there had once been tunnels and a meeting room.
Where Darrow had been.
I stood there, suddenly frozen, incapable of movement, or rational thought, or of conceiving the faintest idea of what to do next. Should I wait here, or run? Or dig through the wreckage? Maybe Darrow was still alive.
But he couldn't be. Not unless he had already gotten out on his own. Like everyone else, he would've gone south.
The same rider that had just leveled the bookshop released another round of fire pellets farther down the road, exploding a second building there. Darrow couldn't have gone far enough on his own to escape this
devastation.
I smelled fire. Smoke began rising from the bookshop, its immense heat licking my face and forcing me back. The flames seemed to be coming from below the wreckage. Fire was inside the tunnels, any that had not already collapsed.
And giant shadows crossed above me. More condors.
They had killed Darrow.
I couldn't breathe.
Silvenians ran past me, some of them urging me along with them, but I didn't move. I didn't care enough to try.
I had made myself a traitor. Abandoned my family name, and with it, every comfort, every security I'd ever known. All to save Darrow.
Somewhere behind me, a horse charged through the crowd. I squinted up and saw Simon there, offering me his hand. I only stared back at it. "Darrow's dead."
Another explosion behind us shook the earth, momentarily throwing me off balance. Simon's eyes flicked to what little remained of the bookshop, then he held out his hand again. "We've got to go, Kes."
"Did you hear me?" I screamed. "Darrow is dead!"
He dismounted, grabbed me by the waist, and pushed me onto the horse. When he climbed back into the saddle behind me, he put one arm around my waist and said, "I'm sorry, I really am. But if we don't leave, others will be mourning for us."
Somehow I held myself together as we rode alongside the fleeing Silvenians. Tears streamed down my face, and my chest filled with more pain than I'd thought any person could contain. I didn't understand how I was still able to breathe, and barely cared if I did. Through all of that, we kept riding.
Less than a mile later, Simon turned left at a crossroad, taking us toward some hills on the outskirts of the town.
Waiting for us there, also on horseback, were Tenger and Gabe. Trina was with them, but had an oropod with yellow-green markings that she must have taken from one of the Dominion soldiers. I was surprised that she knew how to approach such a creature without getting bitten, much less to ride one. I certainly didn't. Gabe had a deep cut on one arm, much worse than mine, but Trina and Tenger seemed to have escaped the worst of the battle. Were they good at fighting, I wondered, or better at hiding while their townspeople fought? While Darrow died.
"Let's take care of this," Tenger said, eyeing me. "Before she leads the armies to us as well."
Trina raised a knife. "She won't do that." A wicked gleam brightened her eyes. "Let's see if you trust me now."
We rode into the hills until we were far enough from town that the battle noises became little more than an echo. How many deaths did each explosion represent? I couldn't help but wonder, and couldn't bear to think of the answer. A part of me remained in Silven, on that road in front of the bookshop. I never should've joined the fight. How arrogant that had been, to think I would make any difference. I should have gone directly into the bookshop to get Darrow.
Still behind me, Simon had a hand on my arm. I barely felt it. "Maybe he escaped."
Maybe. But it hurt too much to have hope.
The hills we were entering contained mostly grassland, dotted with trees as we rode higher. We dismounted behind the hills, where we'd have some privacy, at least until Endrick tracked me again.
"What'll happen to the people back in Silven?" Gabe asked Tenger.
The captain only shrugged. "I hope the Coracks we left behind can do enough damage to save as many people as possible. But it won't be pretty. That was a slaughter."
"It's her fault." Trina flung an accusing finger in my direction. "She brought them to us."
"She didn't know!" Simon said, crossing in front of me. "And she lost someone too."
Everyone in the group stopped to look at me, which I hated. In a gentle tone that actually sounded sincere, Trina said, "I'm sorry, Kestra. I really am."
Tenger added, "That was never the plan."
I didn't look at him, couldn't force myself to. Did it matter that Darrow's death was not in the plan?
Then Tenger continued, "We'll discuss this later, but for now, that tracker must come out. Trina, get your knife ready."
"No!" I grabbed Simon's wrist, holding it with an iron grip. I knew little about medicine, but Trina's knife was filthy. Using that to cut into my flesh couldn't be good. Of course, keeping the tracker in my neck was worse.
Tenger's voice was matter-of-fact. "If you won't cooperate, our alternative is to tie you to this tree and all ride away."
"Let us do this, please." Simon put his hand over mine, hoping I would trust his words. "There's no other choice. They'll already be tracking you to this spot. Tracking all of us."
This time, there was no demand in his eyes, only a pleading for me to listen to him, to believe him. I wiped my clammy hands on my skirts, mumbling, "Just do it!" The less time I had to think about it, the better.
We were near a large poplar tree that had partially fallen, its trunk suspended from the ground by other trees that blocked its path. Tenger directed me to kneel beside it and then to lean my forehead against the trunk so that my neck would be angled upward. Simon knelt on the opposite side of the tree and took my hands firmly in his. "I'll be with you the whole time," he said. "You'll get through this."
"Not if Trina does it," I said. "And not with that knife."
Gabe pulled another knife from his vest and held it out to Trina. I didn't know if it was cleaner than hers, but I was certain it could not be dirtier.
"Trina's the only one with any medical training," Simon said, keeping firm hold on my hands. "It has to be her."
"I'm cutting near the spine." At least Trina seemed to be taking this seriously, though that was hardly enough to give me confidence in her. "Hold still, Kestra, because one wrong move and you're either paralyzed or dead."
"Have you ever done this before?"
"I've seen it done."
"Are you serious?" I shook my head at Simon and tried pulling away. "This is madness!"
"Having a tracker in your neck is madness," Tenger said. "Now put your head down."
Gabe placed a stick between my teeth, and Tenger dumped something that smelled like alcohol over the back of my neck. My dress soaked up the extra liquid, leaving me with a cold chill that caused me to shiver. No, it wasn't the alcohol. I was too terrified to breathe.
"It's all right." Simon's voice was calm but his eyes spoke otherwise. "I'm here."
No part of this was all right. None of this was right at all. I felt the edge of the knife against my skin. It was sharp, but Trina's grip was sure. Whatever it meant for me, she knew exactly where she would start.
"Hold still," Trina said.
I screamed from the first cut, biting down on the stick to mute it, and Simon squeezed my hands tighter. A second cut followed, even deeper. Nausea enveloped me as lights flashed inside my tightly closed eyes.
"I see it!" Trina said. "It's the same ball used for Ironheart soldiers."
Gabe handed her something that she used to retrieve the tracker. That part was far more painful than the cut had been. My nails dug into Simon's hands and I couldn't feel him squeezing back anymore, though he must have been. Tenger poured more alcohol into the wound, which nearly made me leap from my skin. Gabe knelt beside me to steady my body's shaking.
Trina leaned down to show me the tracker, which I looked at but didn't really see. It struck me as similar to a small marble, but I wasn't focusing anymore.
"It's out," Trina said. "I've got to seal the wound."
"Gabe, go destroy the tracker." Tenger was already fading from my view. Everything was fading, nothing but gray corners moving inward. "I'll help with this."
I'd never know exactly what happened after that. Before I passed out, the last thing I heard was Simon telling me everything would be fine. Did I trust that?
I had to.
When I awoke, I was lying on some cut pine boughs, which I supposed were meant to be a sort of cushion while I slept. A cloak was spread out over me, one I'd never seen before. I vaguely wondered how long I'd been here. The sun had risen, and yet it didn't feel as if any time had p
assed.
Simon, Tenger, Trina, and Gabe weren't far off, but they were huddled close together in quiet conversation. With an unsteady hand, I felt around for the sword I had found in Silven. It was gone, which was no surprise. One of them would have taken it while I slept. Next, I felt the back of my neck. I had expected the bandage would encircle my neck entirely, but they had sealed it against my skin with some wax. Trina was the first to notice my movement.
"That's a Corack technique." Her smirk was triumphant. "As long as we keep the wound clean, if we seal it afterward, there's almost never any infection."
Then I remembered Darrow. And suddenly, I didn't much care whether I got an infection or not.
Simon walked toward me. "From what we can tell, most of Silven was destroyed, but the battle has ended. The soldiers have left. We're safe, for now."
"Where's the tracker?"
Gabe smiled, obviously proud of himself. "I couldn't break it, so I fixed it to a branch and sent it down river. The armies will be following that stick for miles."
Simon crouched beside me. "How do you feel?"
Even shrugging hurt. "Like someone who hates me just mined the back of my neck."
"You're welcome," Trina said. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it then. Remember that."
I remembered very little from last night, and far too much from before that. She and I would never be friends. "What happens now?"
"We took a heavy loss last night." Tenger had been tending to his golden leg, readjusting the strap where it was attached to his thigh. But he looked up. "I hate to say it, but the Coracks may need to join forces with the Halderians. We'll need their numbers to give our Infidante a chance of getting close to Endrick."
"The Halderians have been content to sit back while we fight the Dominion," Gabe said. "Why would they join us now?"
Tenger smiled at me, before I turned away in disgust. "Because we have the Olden Blade. We'll go down to the Hiplands today."
The Dominion knew that's where most of the Halderians had gone, but Endrick had been forced to ignore the Hiplands, in order to deal with the Coracks.
Simon said, "Gabe and Trina will go north and try to find any surviving Coracks to begin regrouping." His fingers interlocked with mine. "You and I will go with Tenger to the Hiplands."