A Crumble of Walls (The Kin of Kings Book 4) (17 page)

It wasn’t too long ago that she’d felt Basen open a portal somewhere in the Fjallejon Mountains. Knowing that Fjallejons had little control over bastial energy, it was probably akorell metal within the mountains that had allowed Basen to form the portal.
If there’s enough there for him to make a portal, there’s enough for me to make one to the spiritual world.
She would show Yeso what kind of mistake he’d made by threatening her.

Yes, she was liking this plan better the more she thought about it. But what would she do after she got rid of Yeso? Would his Elf army disband after he was gone? None of that mattered to her. The only thing that did was what Ulric would do with her when he found out.

She would have plenty of time to figure that out on the way there. She was taking the weapon to the mountains no matter what. Whether she would use it on Yeso before getting rid of it was the only question.

*****

The next morning, Sanya acquired a horse and carriage from the castle’s stables. Many of the majestic animals had come with Ulric from Greenedge, yet there wasn’t a use for all of them here. The stablehand thought her to be a Takary, so it was easy for her to point at something and receive it without question.

She’d gotten more used to her silver mask. It no longer caused her forehead to itch, and she’d taught herself to breathe through her mouth so she didn’t have to hear the annoying windy sound of her breath coming in and out through her nose.

The stablehand asked if she knew how to drive a horse carriage. Although she didn’t, she figured psyche would make the task simple. She nodded as she put the bagged weapon in the carriage and climbed upon the animal’s back. As predicted, it was as easy as walking.

Once she was clear of the capital, she gladly removed her mask and hood and told the great animal to gallop faster. The wind stole her next breath as the land became a blur. She laughed with joy.

It would take less than a day to go around the Academy and into the Fjallejon Pathway, but she was tempted to ride east instead. She could just keep going and never return. Eventually she’d turn north and find out why Basen had made a portal to the other side of the continent. There had to be some kind of life for her there, but what? Only Elves had lived that far north, and they had abandoned their homes many years ago.

She had to ignore her curiosity. In the bouncing carriage behind her was death itself, now her responsibility. She had to get rid of it.

Yeso would want to speak with her in private when she arrived to make sure she’d killed Tauwin’s psychic. It would then just be a matter of getting energy into the staff, aiming it at him, and…but what if he pained her and she dropped the weapon? He was too strong to resist, and she couldn’t destroy the bastial energy in the air without making the weapon useless.

If she was able to rip the life from his body, no one would know how he died.
No one except Ulric.
He wouldn’t want anyone to know of the weapon, which would be back in the spiritual world.
So he’d either keep me around and be forced to trust me, or he’d have me killed. I could sense it if his feelings turned hostile.
But then what?

Everything had become so complicated since Tauwin’s plan to take Kyrro in a day had failed. Now Ulric taking over the Academy and eventually taking control of Kyrro from Tauwin was the only way she could get some semblance of the life she’d planned. It was still possible, more than possible, really. Yeso was the only one standing in her way.

And if I don’t kill him, he’ll ensure I’m executed or exiled.
She couldn’t blame him for being suspicious of her. She
was
dangerous.
Soon he’ll see just how right his suspicions are.

She took the eastern road around the Academy. The camp at Lake Kayvol was still abandoned. Tauwin would have everyone in his army working on the catapults if they weren’t keeping the cities under control. From what Sanya had heard in the castle, news of the Academy coming through the cities and recruiting thousands had reached the ears of even the most secluded commoners on the edges of town. Apparently, rebellion was growing at a faster rate since those who’d gone to the Academy and then come back were being rewarded with extra food.

The citizens were angry that the Takarys would take their crops and their tax money and give them nothing in return. Sanya had heard Tauwin’s excuse for this too many times.
“I’ll give them the best version of Kyrro they’ve ever had once this is over. First, I’m taking back what belongs to me.”

No, first you’re taking what belongs to them,
Sanya had always wanted to say.

*****

Sanya made it to the Fjallejon Pathway with many hours of daylight left. She gave the horse a needed break, petting him where he seemed to enjoy the feeling the most at this moment, down his mane. She valued his strength and loyalty and told him this through psyche. He nuzzled her with his tremendous head, then rested it on her shoulder.

It had been a while since she’d crossed through this pathway from Tenred to Kyrro. Last she remembered, there was no flat path in the bowl-shaped passage between the mountains. Many loose rocks sitting on uneven ground had made the trip treacherous if it wasn’t done with care, but now there seemed to be a path beaten down enough for her horse to trot through without her worrying about the animal twisting an ankle.

So much had changed in her lifetime. Two wars, multiple takeovers of the Fjallejon Mountains, two massive and ugly trenches stretching from Trentyre to the ocean, three different kings of Kyrro, and three of Tenred once the new ruler came to power.

All the use of energy had left the spiritual world misshapen as well. It was quickly forming pocks and scars like the body of a veteran soldier. But wasn’t she as much to blame as anyone else? It wasn’t as if she’d stood with the Academy to stop this greedy takeover. She was one of many who’d sided with Tauwin in order to get a better life when this was over. She and her mother were supposed to be happy by now. Instead, she was miserable and her mother was dead.

It was a boring trip through the passageway between the mountains. Gone were the days when Fjallejons stood in the way of travelers, demanding to know their business before letting them pass. A message would be sent to Kyrro’s castle by pigeon if the traveler was coming from Tenred—an agreement set decades ago between men and Fjallejons. In exchange, men would leave the mountain to the smaller beings, who treated the land with more care. This agreement meant nothing anymore. The Fjallejons must despise humans by now.

How much longer will it take the Krepps and the Elves to feel the same way?

It was night by the time she’d made it through the snaking chasm between the mountains. From here, there were a few paths up the mountain now available to her and the horse, but she wouldn’t risk guiding the large animal up in the darkness. Instead, she led her tired mount into Corin Forest.

The animal seemed to want to stay on his feet. It took a considerable amount of psyche to make him feel safe and relaxed enough to lie down, his sturdy legs folding beneath him. She curled up and closed her eyes. It took even more psyche to get herself to sleep, thanks to all the safli potions she’d taken to reach her mother in the spiritual world recently. With that journey now over, Sanya felt a sense of peace.

There was no resolution for the murders she’d committed at the Academy, nothing she could do to right her wrongs.
Except to turn myself in.
Her pulse quickened as she dreamt of entering the Academy. Would they shoot her on sight? Capture her? Certainly one of the two. Would they even let her speak before they strung her up by her neck?
If they gave me the chance, I could explain why I did what I did. I could tell them what I’ve done to help the Academy since then…

It wasn’t much, though.

She couldn’t get the image out of her mind of going to the Academy and facing everyone she’d wronged. Is this what guilt was, wanting to face punishment?

She suddenly knew what to do. She would help Ulric become king and convince him to spare the lives of the people of the Academy. That meant she could follow through with her plan to eliminate Tauwin. She wanted to be the one to do it. She owed it to Kyrro.

Eventually morning came. After breakfast, she set out again with her horse. The trip up the mountain wasn’t long. She noticed several archers looking down upon her, but none drew their arrows. Her horse made it obvious she was with Ulric, in case they missed her silver mask.

“Ulric is on the other side of the peak,” one of the men informed her when she reached the top. “What’s in the bag?”

She’d left the carriage at the bottom of the mountain and was dragging the weapon behind her. She felt none of its effects yet, though she knew it was only a matter of time before the piercing cold would get through the thick bags.

She looked at the archer for a while, catching her breath. He had to know she couldn’t speak, so he must be expecting her to open the bag. He started toward it, but she stepped in front of him and shook her head.

One of the other men approached. “Let him go through.” It seemed she was being mistaken for a man here, just like in the castle. “Do you need help carrying that?”

She shook her head again and hurried off.

It won’t be easy to keep the weapon from being seen.
She had to get into the mountains and find somewhere to hide it until she found the akorell metal.

After the short battle a few nights ago, Academy scouts must’ve seen the Elves going north to this mountain. At this point, everyone knew where their enemies were. The army at the Academy couldn’t go anywhere without Ulric hearing of it.
Except Basen.
Ulric and Tauwin still knew nothing of his ability to make portals.

She wouldn't mind him making another to these mountains. It would be difficult to find akorell metal without a hint, though he would be a fool to come here now with most of Ulric’s army present.

Rockbreak had to be here somewhere as well. He frightened Sanya more than Yeso, more than anyone she’d met. He was the only one who could defeat her in combat because of his ability to completely resist psyche. Even though they were on the same side, it didn’t alleviate her worry.

Sanya walked for hours. She drew many glances of confused curiosity from the troops hiding in the mountains, thanks to her silver mask and the large bag she dragged behind her. Whenever someone approached, she used psyche to make them nervous to ask about it. Most walked on past her after that, pretending they weren’t interested.

Eventually she found her way down into the lower levels of the mountains, where the air was dense. Here, she finally began to see the inhabitants bustling about. The small Fjallejons barely paid attention to her, though she could feel their anger whenever they looked over.

They seemed less curious than the humans. She could probably leave the weapon somewhere without any of them moving it. Even if one opened the bag, the threat of imminent death would overwhelm them and keep them from touching it. In Corin Forest, she’d felt animals approach and then scurry away. Every living creature knew to fear death, and death was exactly what she’d brought here.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Basen was surprised at how quickly Fatholl had agreed to his plan. Perhaps the Elf really was able to put his own interests aside to ensure a better future for Ovira.

Fatholl had just one demand.

“You first must teleport the Krepps and the Elves going with them to Regash Forest.”

After much thought, Basen agreed. It was unlikely the Krepps would cause any immediate problems if he brought them to Kilmar because they would be closer to Tenred than to Kyrro, and it probably would take until the end of the war before their city, or village, or whatever it was they were building was done. By then, the Elves would be gone from Kilmar and their psyche would no longer affect the Krepps. But just in case, Basen needed to speak with Zoke before he made the portal.

“Can you convince them not to attack humans?” Basen asked.

“I will eventually, I’m sure. But I could use support from other smart Krepps. There aren’t enough of us. Do any of the Krepps who went with Rickik show intelligence?”

“Only one,” Basen said. “But he didn’t come with Rickik.” Basen then remembered how Zoke had smiled at hearing of Nebre writing about the last war. They used to practice common tongue together, Zoke had said. If Krepps could be friends, these two were.

At seeing Basen’s expression, Zoke’s long mouth twisted into a crooked smile. “Who?”

“Nebre—he was in Tenred.”

“Nebre,” Zoke echoed as he formed a full smile. “He’s at the Academy with Rickik?”

“Yes.”

The smile left Zoke’s face. “He does not belong with those Krepps. You must bring him through a portal to Regash Forest. He will help us.”

“I will,” Basen said.
Eventually.

Zoke was right; Nebre didn’t belong with Rickik or his mindless Krepps, but Basen couldn’t ignore how valuable Nebre had been and would continue to be. He and Vithos were the only two who could get the Krepps’ attention when it was needed.