Finnikin of the Rock

* * *

They waded through the river, holding their weapons high above their heads. The only noise to break the silence was their breathing and the sound of the lapping water. When they reached the Charyn riverbank, Finnikin indicated for Lucian to follow the trail the soldiers had taken deep into woods. The foliage was so dense that little moonlight penetrated and at times they held on to each other for fear of being separated. Branches scratched their faces and raised tree roots caused them to trip and stumble. Then Lucian seemed to vanish into thin air, and it was only the thud of his body hitting hard earth that stopped Finnikin in his tracks. He knelt and patted the ground before him, feeling the place where the earth fell away to nothing.

'Lucian!' he whispered. 'Are you down there?'

'Where else would I be?' Lucian hissed back.

'Shh! What can you see?' Finnikin could barely make out Lucian's form crawling around in the darkness.

'There's nothing down here,' Lucian said. 'Just a big empty hole. Freshly dug, by the smell of things. Can you see me waving my hand to you?'

Finnikin heard the snap of a twig close by. 'Don't speak!' he hissed. He lay facedown, holding his breath, staying alert to the sounds around them.

'Talk,' Lucian finally said into the silence. 'I'll follow your voice and try to climb up.'

Finnikin moved closer to the edge, extending his arm and half his body into the hole for Lucian to grip on to, when suddenly a hand grabbed his leg. He swiveled around, kicking the intruder in the gut with as much force as he could muster. He heard a grunt of surprise and he scrambled for his dagger, only to have it jerked out of his hand. In the next second, he was thrust against the trunk of a tree with a fist at his throat.

'Finn?' his father said.

He shrugged free, shoving Trevanion away, furious that his father would plan the rescue without him. Perri was on his feet beside Trevanion, winded from the kick to his stomach.

'Lucian's down the hole,' Finnikin muttered. He moved away and lay flat on the ground again, extending his arm into the empty space. His father held him by the feet, and when they could see Lucian's head, Perri reached over and hauled him out by the scruff of his neck.

There was a moment of tense silence.

'You had no right to leave me behind,' Finnikin said tersely.

Trevanion grabbed him. 'What do you think we are out here to do, Finn?' he said. 'Have a chat with these animals? Do you think I want to drag you along to see what I excel in? Not languages, Finnikin. Killing. That's what I do best, and if we ever want to see the boy again that's what we'll be doing.'

'And Evanjalin?'

There was no response. Trevanion motioned for Perri to lead the way, and they followed him to the edge of the woods. In the near distance, they could see flame sticks at the four corners of the soldiers' barracks.

'We wait here,' Trevanion said in a low voice, guiding them to the hollow trunk of a tree. They sat huddled together in the small space. An owl hooted, and slowly the sounds of the night creatures, some shuffling and measured, others with scuttling speed, resumed around them.

'If she's—' Finnikin began.

Perri put a finger to his lips. He pointed toward the barracks and then pointed up, indicating that the Charynites may have soldiers posted in the trees close by. Finnikin watched as Perri took out his dagger and put out a hand to stop him.

'If she's out here and not locked up in the barracks, I'll know,' he said. He took a deep breath and whistled.

'You share a whistle?' Trevanion said in disbelief.

'Do you have a problem with that?' Finnikin asked.

'I have a few whistles,' Lucian murmured. 'Very confusing sometimes.'

'Whistles are meant for combat,' Trevanion said. 'Not wooing women. Women do not understand whistles.'

'Shh! Shh!' Finnikin jabbed his father with his elbow. 'Did you hear that?'

Finnikin whistled again and held up a hand for silence. Even the night creatures seemed to obey. They waited. Nothing.

And then they heard it, faintly but coming toward them, and Finnikin felt as if he could breathe again. He grinned. 'Is she not the smartest girl in the land?'

'And the biggest liar and the most unpredictable,' Perri muttered. Finnikin crawled out from the tree, but Perri was already on his feet. 'Let me do the honors,' he said, disappearing.

Finnikin waited, thinking of all the things he had to tell her. That perhaps he was the resurdus of Seranonna's prophecy, the one to break the spell at the main gate. And that she, Evanjalin, was the light of his sometimes very dark heart who would lead him.

Then he heard the crunch of footsteps and she was there and he opened his coat and wrapped her inside, holding her tight until the beat of their hearts slowed to the same pace and her lips were against the base of his throat. When he stepped back, he could see that she was wild-eyed and exhausted.

'Back to the tree,' Perri ordered.

Lucian made room for them as they squashed in together. The Mont took off his cap and gently placed it on Evanjalin's head.

She stared at him for a moment, and Finnikin saw her shudder. He sat her in the crook of his body, keeping her warm.

'I watched the barracks from a distance last night and through today and tonight,' she whispered. 'There's a courtyard with three men guarding it. One dog tied up. High walls. The rest of the men are sleeping inside the barracks. I believe that's where they are keeping Froi.'

'What happened, Evanjalin? How was he caught?' Trevanion asked.

'We both were,' she said, her voice small. 'We'd just arrived, and were walking through the woods early yesterday evening. We crossed the river to catch some food, and the Charynites found us. It was clear that they were going to kill us, for no other reason than we were Lumateran. I heard them say so, but I didn't let on.' She stared up at them, shaking her head with anguish. 'I told Froi I would make up some lie to create a diversion, and in the confusion, he was to run and not stop running. I ordered him. His bond was to me. To listen to every word I said.' She began to shiver again, and Finnikin held her closer to him.

'And he looked at me and told me... told me that people with magic need to live. He told me he was dispensable. He speaks our language like an idiot,' she spat out through her tears, 'yet he knows the word dispensable. He still had my ruby ring, and before I could stop him, he was shouting out that he was the heir, Balthazar.'

'But they would have known he was too young,' Perri said.

'Everything happened too quickly. Froi waved the ruby ring in the air and yelled, 'Run! Run!' and then, 'Balthazar, Balthazar, Balthazar,' repeating that he was Balthazar, heir to the throne of Lumatere.'

Finnikin felt Lucian flinch each time his dead cousin's name was spoken.

'So I ran and hid in a ditch until it was safe to climb a tree. And I watched them. Today the soldiers went out, and when they returned, they threw punches at each other and kicked the poor dog. Repeatedly.'

'That's why they rounded up the exiles,' Lucian murmured. 'They would have known the boy was lying and probably suspected that the true heir was with the exiles on the river.'

Evanjalin turned at the sound of Lucian's voice. 'I told you the Monts were here,' she said to Finnikin.

'No, you didn't,' Finnikin accused gently. 'You just pointed and said, 'I'm going east.''

Lucian stared at her. 'Definitely a Mont. Yata and my father will be distraught that we did leave one behind.'

Evanjalin reached over and took Lucian's hand in hers. 'Yata,' she said in a trembling voice.

Finnikin watched as Lucian kept ahold of her hand, and then the Mont's fingers traveled up her arm and Finnikin saw him shudder. 'Lucian!' he warned gruffly.

Lucian sighed, not letting go. 'My father and Yata will be very angry when they see what you have done, Evanjalin. To have cut yourself to bleed and walk the sleep.'

Finnikin could not make out his father's and Perri's reactions, but he felt deep shame as he reached over to reveal the horrific scars that not even the pale light of the moon could hide.