ARC: Assassin Queen (41 page)

“
I think this place is going to collapse,
”
he said.
“
We must get out of here as soon as we can.
”

Kara glanced around. Kyth didn
’
t need to see her frown to guess her thoughts. Only seven of them were standing, with over twenty on the ground. With the distance he knew they needed to cover to clear the fortress there was no way they were all going to make it out alive.

“
I will hold it together,
”
he said.
“Let
’
s hope I can give them enough time to rescue us.
”

He extended his magic, reaching all the way through the stones down to the far corners of the ancient structure. It felt just like Ayalla trained him, putting the dissipating stones back together. The task was vast, but the fact that he didn
’
t actually need to reassemble anything, just to reinforce the existing bonds feeding on the power of the air made it seem more manageable. He was surprised he could even use his magic after being so exhausted, but once he settled into the feeling, it didn
’
t take as much effort as he thought.

Afterwards, Kyth had been told that it took less than fifteen minutes for the search party to reach them after he sent the signal to Adler. To him it felt like hours, the strain wearing him down until it became nearly impossible to bear. By the time he saw Seldon and Egey Bashi rushing into the chamber with Alder close behind, he could barely keep up straight. He leaned back against the wall, certain he would never be able to move again.

Seldon merged into the situation naturally, firing out orders to send men rushing, picking up the wounded, carrying them out of the chamber. Alder ran toward Kyth and knelt by his side.

“
Get everyone out,
”
Kyth said weakly.
“
The fortress is about to collapse. I
’
m holding it together.
”

Alder nodded briskly, then rushed away to speak to Seldon, who redoubled his efforts, men moving like a blur around him. Kyth watched them with half-vision, inwardly saying his goodbyes, certain he would never see them again. Then his foster brother appeared again, reaching over to pull him upright.

Kyth struggled to keep his balance, extending the last of his strength to the stones of the fortress.

“I… I can
’
t, Alder. Can
’
t move. Leave me.
”

“
The hell I will.
”
Alder picked him up, holding Kyth up to his massive chest, easily as if he was a child. As they rushed out of the chamber, Kyth heard a screech of the moving stones behind them. Then he passed out in his foster brother
’
s arms.

41

Healing

The beams of the setting desert sun felt pleasantly warm after the death chill of the stone fortress. Kyth gave himself a moment to revel in their heat. Then, the memory of recent events forced his eyes open. He sat up and met Alder
’
s concerned gaze.

“
Where
’
s everyone?
”
he asked weakly.

Alder pointed.
“
Over there. Magister Egey Bashi and Ellah are healing them, with Kara
’
s help.”

Healing them.
Kyth steadied himself. His body felt sore, so weak that he nearly keeled over trying to pull himself to his feet. He was surprised he was still able to stand upright. Even without any physical wounds, the battle with the Kaddim left him so exhausted that he doubted he would ever feel right again.

He glanced at the Kaddim fortress looming just a short distance away. Surprisingly, it was still standing, but some of the outer buildings showed cracks and gaps as they were starting to collapse. It was only a matter of time, but fortunately, by Kyth
’
s estimation, their current location, atop a rocky plateau at least half a mile away from the fortress, should be a safe place to be at when the whole structure went down. For all Kyth knew, it was going to sink into a giant hellhole that would swallow everything in that place. He couldn
’
t care less, as long as he was certain everyone in their party was safe.

“
What happened when you attacked the fortress from the front?
”
he asked.

Alder shrugged.
“
It wasn
’
t much of a battle, really. I heard Aghat Seldon say that the Kaddim warriors probably believed it to be as much of a diversion as we did. Everyone knew the real battle was happening inside the fortress.
”

“
Were there many casualties?
”

“
Some. But not nearly as many as I expected. Seldon had the Majat spearhead the attack, which really did make all the difference.
”

Kyth nodded. Despite lacking their top fighters, the Majat force Mai brought was enormous by any normal standards. Even the trained Kaddim warriors couldn
’
t possibly withstand them for long.

“
How did it end?
”
he asked.

“
At some point,
”
Alder said,
“
they all just fell down and
…
dissipated. Not sure how. Only the robes were left behind. Everyone felt so freaked out, even if the Majat didn
’
t really show it.
”

Kyth nodded again. This was likely the moment when he killed the Reincarnate, whose magic had been holding those undead warriors together.

“
When they fought,
”
he said,
“
did you notice they were undead?
”

“No.”
Alder looked puzzled.
“
We were all warned, of course, but I thought Egey Bashi had made a mistake. I would never have suspected these warriors were different from any of us, not until they actually dissipated.
”

Kyth sighed. It felt so good that the war was over, even though he knew it would take him a while to fully realize it.

The Majat stationed around the healing area parted as they saw Kyth and Alder approach. Kyth stepped inside their circle and looked around with widening eyes.

Most of the wounded men were sitting up, some looking dazed and weak, but very much alive. Ellah and Celana were rushing among them, along with the Majat volunteers who helped to cut bandages, distribute drinking water, and treat light wounds. Celana smiled when she saw Kyth and ran toward him, throwing her arms around his neck. Kyth held her, feeling lightheaded as he looked into her eyes.

“
What you
’
ve done was enormous,
”
she said.
“You
’
ve won the war.
”

Kyth glanced around the area again.
“
I didn
’
t do it alone.
”

She reached up and kissed him.
“
You know what I mean. You are a hero who will go down in chronicles and be worshipped for centuries to come.
”

He laughed and kissed her too, inhaling her fresh scent.
“
I hope not.
”

She brushed her cheek over his, an intimate gesture of affection that made his toes curl with pleasure.
“
I must go. Ellah and Magister Egey Bashi need my help.
”

“
Of course. I
’
ll go see Mai.
”

She frowned and briefly glanced away.

Kyth
’
s eyes narrowed.
“
He is all right, isn
’
t he?
”

Her gaze wavered.
“
The Diamonds suffered the most. As I understand, not only because the Kaddim had focused all their effort on targeting them first, but because with their skill it was very hard for Kara to direct blows against them that would not harm them too much.
”

Kyth thought back to the occasion when Mai had to do the same thing to Kara to save her life. That time it worked well, though. Wasn
’
t it going to be the same now?

“
We spent a lot of time treating their wounds,
” Celana said. “
Thanks to Magister Egey Bashi
’
s magical remedies, most of them are out of danger and will recover well. But Aghat Mai
…”
She averted her eyes.

Kyth
’
s skin prickled as he followed her gaze to the huddled group of people at the back of the healing area, eerily quiet amidst the general bustle.

“
I have to go there now,
”
he said.

She nodded and stepped away.

Mai lay flat on his back, as still as he had been back in the Kaddim
’
s chamber. His hollow cheeks and creamy white skin made him look nearly transparent, ghostly. His eyes were pressed shut, on their own or through the healers
’
effort, Kyth wasn
’
t sure. It seemed only partially comforting that the wound at his throat had now closed, leaving only a very small scar behind.

Kyth stood still for a moment, watching Egey Bashi
’
s grim look as the Keeper put a small bottle carefully into a special pocket of his medicine bag. The healing elixir. Kyth tried to convince himself that the sight of this bottle should make him feel reassured. This elixir worked only on living flesh. If the Keeper had used it on Mai and the wound had closed, Mai should be all right, shouldn
’
t he? He clung to the thought, refusing to acknowledge the way everyone here sat so eerily silent, as if attending a wake.

When Kyth stepped forward and knelt at Mai
’
s side, Kara, raised her face to him. Her frozen expression made his heart skip a beat.

It took her a moment to recompose before she spoke.
“
It isn
’
t working.
”

Kyth swallowed to steady his voice.
“
It will. Just give him time.
”

She shook her head.
“
It was supposed to work. I
learned
this blow, Mai taught me himself. He also showed me the pinch on the pressure points used to revive the victim afterwards. I tried it, but
…”

Kyth touched Mai
’
s wrist, finding the weak, uneven pulse that seemed as if it was about to fade. Mai
’
s skin felt very cold. He rubbed it tentatively, wondering if any of the magic he learned could possibly help Mai to warm up. His mind grasped to the tiniest shreds of logic, trying and failing to find a way out.
The blow. The revival pinch.
He had seen it done before, when Mai had revived Kara after making their Guild believe she was dead. Back then, Raishan tried to do it too, and failed. Could it be that if someone else, not Kara, tried it now, it would work?

It didn
’
t seem likely, but they couldn
’
t just give up, could they?

“
This blow,
”
he said.
“
There must be someone else among the Majat who learned it too.
”

“
Yes, all Diamonds learn it at some point. I already asked all of them. None of them are strong enough to try it yet, but they all confirmed I did it right. Nobody knows what else to do.
”

“
How about Seldon?
”

“
Seldon?
”

“He
’
s a Diamond, isn
’
t he?
”

She hesitated. “
Yes, but he retired, years ago. His skill is not what it used to be.
”

“
Still, I assume he learned the blow, did he?
”

Her gaze wavered.
“
He might have, even though I
’
m not sure he was still active when the blow was invented. I don
’
t think that
…”

“
Is there any harm in asking?
”

“
I suppose not.
”

Kyth rose to his feet.
“
Wait here. I
’
ll bring him.
”

It seemed as if she was about to protest, but she bit back her comment, her helpless look echoing with a hollowness in his chest. He didn
’
t feel strong enough to handle this now, but he couldn
’
t possibly let her down.

Kyth found Seldon on the other side of the camp, giving orders. Men obeyed him left and right, including the Cha
’
idi and the Golden Lion warriors rushing around together with the Majat, loading the seriously wounded onto stretchers to carry them back to camp. When Kyth approached, Seldon stopped his activity, watching him with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. Kyth was surprised when Seldon briefly inclined his head, pressing his fist to his chest in a Majat salute.

“
Your Royal Highness. Allow me to congratulate you on a brilliant victory.
”

“
Thank you, Aghat Seldon,
”
Kyth said.
“
We all played our parts. Including yours, which gave us a chance to defeat their leaders. Well done.
”

Seldon
’
s smile in response seemed even more unexpected. Up until now, Kyth never thought he would be in a position to praise a Diamond for a well fought battle
–
or to see his praise appreciated.

“
I came to ask you for help, Aghat Seldon,
”
he said.
“
Can you please come with me?
”

Seldon nodded, then turned away briefly to give some quick orders that sent his subordinates into a new flurry of activity. He didn
’
t ask any questions as he followed Kyth, demonstrating beyond words how deep a trust Kyth had earned by playing his part in the battle. Well, if this kind of a trust could help save a friend
’
s life, it was definitely worth it.

He led Seldon to the place where Kara still sat, holding Mai
’
s hand. Wordlessly, Seldon knelt by her side. Kyth could tell by the way his lips pressed together briefly as he looked down at the outstretched body that Mai
’
s condition affected him deeply.

“I
’
m not sure I can do anything,
”
Seldon said.

Kyth glanced at Kara, but she didn
’
t even look up, or show any other reaction to these words. Still, Kyth simply refused to give up.

“
I understand,
”
he said,
“
that Kara tried to spare Mai
’
s life by hitting him with a special blow that is supposed to be non-fatal. She
’
s having trouble reviving him. I know you learned this blow too, Aghat Seldon. Perhaps you could help?
”

Seldon frowned as he leaned closer and examined the small scar at the base of Mai
’
s neck. Then he turned to Kara.
“
Was it Viper
’
s Kiss you used?
”