Citadel of the Sky (Thrones of the Firstborn Book 1) (23 page)

Almost imperceptibly, the wires tightened.

M
ousame’s
local beer was wretched, and Tiana hated every swallow she made herself take. After only two mugs, it stopped tasting so bad, and she wondered if adding salt would bring back the misery. They’d tried to convince her to relocate to the tavern when she’d run herself down beating on the Mystery Spot. She’d demanded they relocate the tavern to her, instead. It was liberating to stop caring if they were frightened of her.

They’d brought her a table and a chair, and bread and salt. And a bottle of wine, to start with, but that was too good for her. Beer. With salt in. Kiar was gone. Yithiere would cut her to pieces.

Lisette snatched the salt crock out from under Tiana’s fingers. “Oh, stop it.”

Tiana slouched in her chair. “I can do what I want.”

Lisette, sitting to Tiana’s left, handed the salt crock to the nervous tavern boy hovering nearby. “You don’t want the salt. You don’t even want the beer.”

Berrin, sitting to Tiana’s right, sniffed at the untouched mug in front of him. “It’s not that bad.”

Tiana narrowed her eyes at Berrin and gulped at the salty beer. It made her thirsty, so she drank more. Her tongue began to hurt, and Berrin pushed his mug over to her, eyes crinkling. Scraping her tongue against her teeth, she poured the untainted beer down her throat.

“You’re quaffing,” Lisette pointed out, wrinkling her nose.

Tiana turned so fast she almost knocked her chair over. “Why haven’t you sent one of them back to tell everyone what’s happened?” she demanded. “Tell Jerya all about it. Bring back people who know what they’re doing. I can’t believe I thought my insane father had a good idea.”

Lisette’s eyes shadowed. “I won’t betray you. We’ll go back when you say so.”

Tiana tilted her chair back. “Yithiere or Twist or even Jant could find Kiar. Even Gisen.”

“Kiar’s either gone or she’s not. Rushing around won’t change that.” Her eyebrows drew together. “First you attacked the Mystery Spot and now you’re attacking yourself. Stop it. Notice it.”

Tiana looked away, towards the Mystery Spot across the street. It was more than just a fuzzy round blur now; her ministrations with the emanations had warped it into the rough outline of a human. It made no difference, though; she still couldn’t force it to respond to her as it had to Kiar. The horrible blankness of it felt imprinted on her eyes; she no longer had to search for it. She had the awful feeling that rather than molding it into the shape of a human, she’d uncovered a shape that was already there, a shape that was all that remained of Kiar.

She gulped at her beer and then coughed as she swallowed too fast. Then she swallowed more, until the ache in her throat subsided. Dammit, she’d just saved Kiar. She’d unleashed some kind of monster and for what? Kiar to be eaten by a tourist attraction?

Lord of Winter, she wanted to tear this town down, looking for her. It was a dismal place, though the gawkers mostly stayed on the other side of town. The villagers did something or other with cotton when they didn’t have so many tourists. Kiar would have known. There were strange little huts scattered between the houses. She had no idea what was in them. What if there was another Mystery Spot? What if Kiar was trapped?

There was shouting from the road behind her. Slater moved away to investigate and Tiana tipped her chair forward again. Jinriki was on the table between her and Lisette, shining in the afternoon sunlight. She traced her fingers over the engravings, felt the rough texture of the red-stained lower blade, the stone that had once been black and was now clear. All that power, spent. He hadn’t spoken to her since she’d hurled him away. She wondered if he’d like it if she started tearing down the mysterious buildings. Wouldn’t he like that?

But Jerya wouldn’t approve. Her stomach tightened painfully. Jerya never approved of anything she did. Jerya certainly wouldn’t approve of this. It would be about as far from approval as Jerya could get. Kiar would never have come here if Tiana hadn’t suggested it. Everyone would be at home and safe.

Tiana lowered her head until her forehead was resting on Jinriki’s cool handle. She wished she could make the ground open up and swallow her or wrap herself in an untouchable shield like Kiar. If only she’d had Kiar’s powers and Kiar had hers. Responsible Kiar with the emanations and empty-headed Tiana, locked in a cage out of everyone’s way. Jerya would never miss her.

Her eyes felt gritty and dry. She knew what she should do. She needed to rise, take up Jinriki and order everybody back to the city. She ought to end this foolish misadventure and let people who knew what they were doing try to rescue Kiar. If she could even be rescued, if she wasn’t already just a smear of emptiness.
Life isn’t a drama.
In her mind’s eye, Jerya turned away.

She pushed herself to her feet and went to investigate one of the smallest buildings, which was exactly what Kiar would have predicted and completely undramatic. When she returned a few minutes later, Jinriki wasn’t shining any longer. The sky had clouded over. There was more shouting behind her, and she realized that Berrin had gone as well. Lisette was standing a few feet away.

Tiana’s head hurt again, an ongoing dull pain rather than the throbbing ache of before. “What’s going on?” She picked Jinriki up.

Lisette had cleaned the dust of the street from her face and hands, and smoothed her hair back. “The people on the hill saw something exciting. Berrin’s gone to see for himself.” She was troubled, though she kept it from her face.

Tiana stood on her toes, shading her eyes with her free hand. People were running. Some of the tents and stalls were packing up without any care for organization, while other campers were talking animatedly. Four riders galloped north, scattering chickens and children. She saw Berrin and Slater galloping back towards them.

“What is it?” she called.

“Raiders,” said Slater as they drew up. “Enemy raiders, on a line to the town.”

“Oh
,
Rann’s balls.” Lisette’s eyes widened at Tiana’s vulgarity. Tiana stomped her feet. “Keldera’s cunt!” Liberating. She tightened her hand on Jinriki’s hilt and took a deep breath, inspecting that place inside that brought forth the magic. She was still recovering from her earlier exertions, an hour after a hard race and she didn’t know how long her second wind would last. Adrenalin made her breath quicken.

Lisette and the guards were watching her. A horse stomped, and a young man scrambled past, calling to someone. Then Lisette said, “My horse is lame, and I’m not leaving.” She turned away.

Tiana said, “I’m staying. Lisette, you should leave, get someplace safe—” She blinked and paid attention to what Lisette had just said.

“Of course you’re staying. Figure out a good plan, Princess, because I’m not leaving.” Lisette’s voice was hard.

“You can’t stay. What if you got hurt?” Tiana protested, but Lisette just walked away. “I’ll be distracted,” she called after. “I’ve got to do this! Lisette!”

Slater said, “We’ll protect her, Princess. What are
you
going to do?”

She wished—but she was here now, and that was that. The burst of adrenalin fell under the shadow of a darker feeling. More of the merchants packed up their wares. A door slammed and rattled. She could hear the fear, high and shrill, in the murmur of voices.
Jerya. Oh, Kiar.

She felt the phantasmagory below her, like cool water just touching bare toes. She slipped in, no splash, with a sigh. There was nothing around her. The phantasmagory was empty and calm. The biters were gone, and the black silhouettes, and the ghost. All the ancestral memories and the personal strongholds were gone, too. Everything was gone, like it had been purged, or made new again. She felt a peculiar chord of grief for what was lost, for all that she could conjure up her own special place whenever she wanted.

Then she inhaled and let the emptiness fill her up.

There she goes
, said the tall one. Look at her face.

We should get her and the other one out of here
, said the strong one.

If she doesn’t—Princess?

She moved past them, forcing words through forgotten lips.
There’s nobody here to tell. Nobody will know. I’m sorry.
The hill loomed ahead, glaring bright, distorted by the lens of the phantasmagory.

A black cloud with a crimson core and argent eyes walked beside her. “Is that fear, little one? Such an odd taste.”

In two worlds, she said,
I’m not afraid. Don’t worry about that. There’s no room.

The tall one turned away and said,
Hell. This—

She stopped and looked back at him.

He lowered his head, raised it, said,
All right. You’re doing your job, Princess. I don’t understand how, but—we’ll do ours. We’ll take Lady Lisette to the tavern. It looked defensible.
He walked to Lisette.

The strong one caught her hand and brought it to his lips. She saw her own shadowy feelings reflected in the twist of his mouth, until the black cloud moved across her and the sword in her other hand raised to point at him. He dropped her hand, swung back onto his horse.
Good luck, Princess.

She walked past him, down the long road and up the high hill. They stopped as she passed and watched her go, with her long sword in her hand. Faces peered out of shutters. Children cried. A rider charged past and another horse reared, rather than go around her. Beyond the voices, there was a sound like thunder.

From the top of the hill, she saw the invaders. They moved like a flock of birds, dark shapes on monstrous mounts and creatures that looked like mount and rider in one. They moved quickly; they were not exploring, not watching their flanks. They were very close. Soon, they would sweep past the east slope of the hill and into the town.

Soon. Not yet. Tiana stepped off the steep side of the hill, spreading her arms.

When her grandfather had walked off Reader Tower, his eidolons had soared to the tower’s peak, but he had not. He fell to the flagstones far below, and nobody ever knew if that was what he intended, or just… one of his little confusions.

No one will know.

“Little girl, I know.”

She drifted gently on an emanation. It was easier than she remembered. She must have recovered more than she thought. “You aren’t supposed to call me that.”

The black cloud beside her shifted, glinted red. “Sometimes it is all that is speakable.”

The troop of invaders was so near now. The riders were slender and armored all in black, from helm to boot. Their mounts were more wolf than horse, though they ran on heavy hooves and bore three horns. They were the color of deep water. The other creatures—they had the hands and heads of men, and twice the legs, but the clawed feet of beasts.

Tiana looked at the sword in her hand. “I don’t know how to use you.”

The black cloud said, “Do what you always do. Do what you did before.”

She flexed her hand around his handle. “I might drop you.”

“No. You won’t.”

She paused, watching the movement of the invaders. They grouped together as they swerved around the hill and slowed as they noticed her drifting above them. Then she said, “When I fall, they’ll take you from me. Your revenge will be lost. I’m sorry.”

The black cloud’s voice turned cold. “Let’s kill them all, then.”

She sighed. Then she swept her hands forward, Jinriki in one hand, the other hand straight like a knife. The emanation scythed away from her, rippling down to the leading edge of the invaders.

The mounts screamed, a high whine interspersed with hiccuping thuds. Three reared, stumbled backwards, fell. Two more failed to swerve around them. Then rising dust screened the details.

“Three?” Tiana said. “Three at once? Did I hit all three? I just meant to trip the leader.” The phantasmagory vanished from her perception as she strained to make out what was happening below.

**Well done.**
Jinriki’s voice was saturnine.

“You just make my magic stronger? Why didn’t you help me before, at the Mystery Spot?” Tiana shook the blade in aggravation, her quiet dispassion chased off by her surprise.

**Pay attention!**
Something dark and thin flicked by her face and then her knee, and the emanation supporting her vanished for a plummeting heartbeat as she flinched away.

“Ah! What—do they have bows?” She tried to focus on the dust and riders below.
But he should have helped me earlier!
Another dart skimmed past her cheek and she flung out her hands again, frustration propelling another emanation down to the riders, untargeted. It sliced through the dust and more creatures screamed. She saw one of the mounts snap its tail forward, and Jinriki twisted in her hand. A dart spanged off the blade.

Bewildered, Tiana pushed her free hand forward, fingers spread, sending the emanation rushing forward like the wind. A black spike pinwheeled. She crooked a tendril of force to bring it to her.

It was as long as her forearm, a thin, dark, mottled horn. She scowled and hurled it away from her, back at the riders. Then she sank into the phantasmagory again, where Jinriki was a black cloud beside her, not a sword in her hand.

My hand is a sword.
She sliced. The screaming of the mounts was joined by the deeper, guttural cries of the four-legged creatures. She saw one of the slim riders standing at the edge of the wreckage of mounts and riders, looking up at her. Then more darts flew at her.

My hand is a shield.
She held it up. But it was Jinriki who cut one out of the air and her flinch-and-drop that saved her from another. Infuriated, she sliced and sliced and sliced again, cutting blindly at dust and screams and darts. She realized part of the enemy had continued on, into the town.

“You have no idea how to defend yourself,” Jinriki observed.

Shut up! Why didn’t you help me before? I could have saved Kiar—

“That rider is still watching you. Don’t let it live to report what it’s observing.”

Black specks flying—she reached out with the emanation and the sword and cut them out of the sky, one, two, three. The fourth one cut through her clothing, grazing her arm even as she jerked and fell another few feet. Its path against her skin burned.