AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They dumped him into a chair, and they must have gone to wake Zeliha, because with the next flash that he got, the room was lit and Zeliha was being herded out of her bedroom, already dressed, with Eyne carried close to her breast in a sling and Siranos following blearily. “Kadou!” Her voice sounded almost muffled. “Holy hell! What’s wrong with him? Is he all right?”
Kadou didn’t hear the answer. He tried to say, “I’m fine, stop fussing,” but his mouth felt dry and cottony, and his head ached, and he was so very tired . . .
“—get out of the palace—”
“How many were there?”
“—can’t take the gates—”
“—tunnels—”
Kadou pinched his arm hard, the sharp pain cutting through the fog. Eozena was facing Zeliha, trying to shout and whisper at the same time, “—need to go to ground! Too many people know about the safe house in the city!”
“Commander,” Evemer was saying, standing near her. It sounded like he’d said it several times already.
“—andnone of youhave better ideas,” Eozena hissed, turning on the kahyalar. “So—”
“Commander,” Evemer said.
“Eozena,” Zeliha said, catching her by the arm. “It sounds likehehas one.”
Eozena whirled on Evemer. “Well? Speak, man! Be brief!”
“My mother’s house,” he said simply.
“Less brief than that, for the gods’ sake!”
“It’s in the artisans’ quarter. It’s quiet. Large basement. Beds and food. Easy to defend.”
“That sounds perfectly fine,” Zeliha said firmly before Eozena could speak. “Let’s move.”
“Zeliha—” Eozena said.
“Commander. Stay here. Do what you must to secure the palace.” Zeliha leaned forward to kiss Eozena’s cheek. “We’ll be in touch. Don’t worry.”
Kadou nearly hazed out again at the flurry of motion, but Eozena stepped forward and helped him to his feet, muttering, “You, my boy, are to stay out of any more trouble, do you hear? Evemer, on your life, keep him safe.”
“Commander,” Evemer rumbled, somewhere behind him.
“I’m fine,” Kadou croaked, and Eozena’s grip tightened on his arm.
“Of course you are, love,” she said. Her voice almost wavered. “Of course you are. Just another close call to keep old Eozena on her toes, eh? Keep himsafe,Evemer.”
“Commander.”
Evemer’s strong arm came up around Kadou’s ribs, taking most of his weight as he dragged Kadou out the door and down the hall with Zeliha and the others. “I’m sorry,” Kadou gasped, feeling the world blur again. “I’m sorry, I can walk—”
“Hush, Your Highness,” Evemer said. “Mind your feet.”
Darkness. A couple lanterns, plucked from their hooks. The shadows they cast wavered on the walls and shuddered with every movement. They made Kadou’s head ache horrifically, made the blurring, hazy feeling come in stronger waves.
There were, of course, tunnels from the palace down to the city, held secret by the royal family and only their most trusted kahyalar. Kadou felt Evemer maneuvering them carefully down a narrow spiral staircase, smelled the rising scent of underground damp, heard the echoes change as the group made it to the bottom of the stairs where they opened into the vast underground cistern that supplied the palace with water. Kadou kept trying to shake off the fog, blinking into the dark. They went in single file down the access paths, past columns and arches and huge, deep pools of still water. The vibration of their steps made the surface quiver—the reflections of the lamplight and the columns wobbled violently and Kadou was nearly sick. He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched for a tighter grip on Evemer’s clothes. He felt like the world was turning sideways, like the floor would slide out from under him and he’d topple right into the wildly dancing reflections—
Evemer was solid and steady in his grip. Kadou could feel his heartbeat.
He heard splashing in front of them, and Evemer said, “Hmm.” Kadou didn’t dare open his eyes. If he saw the dancing reflections again, or the wavering shadows, he’d be ill for certain. Evemer didn’t ask anything of him, just hauled Kadou right off his feet and waded through the water, setting him down again on the other side. “The stones are wet,” Evemer said. “Careful.”
Then there were more stairs, and then a downward-sloping path—dirt, by the scuffling feel of it under his shoes, and by the stale, earthy smell of it. He risked another peek through slitted eyes, but it was useless—the walls pressed in on either side, and the ceiling was low enough that Evemer had to walk with his head bowed, and the rest was just the figures of the people in front of them, silhouetted by the vanguard’s lamp.
