bound, but their unbound whispers rise to the Dragon Between, calling to those who would hear.”
A great blast of flame erupted from the furnace, jetting upward to engulf him.
“Gaven!” He struggled to wake up, images and emotions from his dream slow to clear from his mind. Senya was on her knees next to him, shaking him awake. She seemed deeply concerned. “Gaven, are you all right?”
“I… I think so.” Gaven sat up, rubbing his forehead. “I was asleep.”
“You were?” Senya looked perplexed. “But your eyes were open, and you were saying… something.”
“What did I say?”
“I don’t know. Half the time, I think you were speaking another language. You sounded confused, and then you screamed, and that’s when I shook you.”
Gaven looked around. The other passengers tried not to stare, but everyone glanced his way from time to time. He wondered how many of them understood Draconic, assuming that was the language he had been babbling.
He turned back to Senya. “Thank you for waking me,” he said. “It wasn’t a pleasant dream.”
“You’re welcome.” The worry melted from Senya’s face, and she smiled, then looked up at the window. “Sun’s almost up anyway. I think we’re due at Sterngate around noon.”
Gaven groaned. He felt like he had barely slept, and he didn’t feel up to another confrontation of any kind, let alone a border crossing. His body was still recovering from its brush with the rail, and sitting upright proved to be a greater effort than he could manage. He slumped back down on the bench. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep again, but he could at least rest his body.
Despite the sun beginning to peek in the windows, darkness swallowed him again.
Gaven opened his eyes to see Senya leaning over him again, anxiety on her face. He woke quickly, feeling clearheaded and almost well rested.
“Was I shouting again?”
“No, but we’ll be at Sterngate soon. I didn’t want to wake you any sooner than I had to.”
“Thank you. I needed sleep.”
“I talked to Vond and Juni, and they’re both willing to help us like they did at the last stop, assuming the guards board the cart again. Might be best to be consistent, especially if they’re comparing what they see to a passenger list compiled in Zolanberg.”
Gaven shook his head. “It’ll never work. They’re never going to let me across the border without papers.”
Senya looked like she was about to argue, then thought better of it. “So what do we do?”
“How far to Sterngate?”
“Not far. We’ve already turned east toward Marguul Pass, I think.”
“So the thing to do is to make sure I’m not on the lightning rail when they come looking for me.” He got to his feet and strode to the door leading to the next cart back.
“What are you doing?” Senya asked.
Gaven opened the door and looked around. A small platform jutted out the end of the steerage cart, separated by a short gap from a similar platform at the front of the next cart. “I’m not sure yet.” He pulled his head back in and looked at Senya. “Your papers are in order, right? They’ll stand up to border scrutiny?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Stay here. Stick with Vond if you want. They’ll be so busy going through his fur with a comb that they’ll barely look at your papers, if I know border guards. I’ll see you once we’re across.”
“What are you doing?” she asked again.
“Still not sure. But I’ll figure it out.”
Evlan d’Deneith watched the lightning rail approach Sterngate. He stood tall, his arms folded, two good marshals at his back, confident that he was about to make the arrest that would put the final flourish on a long and distinguished career. He’d capture Gaven, who would lead him to Haldren ir’Brassek, and the two would lead him into a comfortable retirement.
Silent lightning arced around the crew cart and along the trailing coaches, flaring blue as they slowed. He watched carefully, in case his quarry tried to jump from the cart before it reached the station, and he had two marshals on the other side doing the same. Two more marshals walked the length of the station. He had spread a net that Gaven could not possibly escape. Evlan drummed his fingers on his arm, impatient.
The carts came to a stop. A platoon of Brelish soldiers stepped forward to open the doors on each cart, barking orders to the passengers inside. All passengers would disembark and file through a checkpoint where their papers would be examined before they would be allowed to leave the station or reboard the lightning rail.
Evlan signaled to one of the marshals behind him, and she followed him aboard the crew cart. They would make their way backward, searching every cart until they found him. The other five marshals would stay in place, watching for any escape attempt.
The crew cart was a maze of arcane devices, cramped quarters, and storage areas. There were hundreds of places a man could hide, but Evlan searched every one. Satisfied that Gaven could not be aboard, they moved to the next cart back, the steerage cart. The passengers had already cleared out, but Evlan could guess from the smell that it had been crowded on the journey from Zolanberg. He wrinkled his nose as he moved through the cart, peering under every bench.
When he reached the rear of the cart, Evlan stuck his head out the door. The marshal he’d left outside gave him an all-clear signal, and he scowled. If Gaven hadn’t been seen leaving the lightning rail, then he must still be aboard. He returned to his search.
He opened the door leading to the next cart back, and was struck by the pungent smell of ozone, presumably from the lightning discharges that occurred as the lightning rail moved along its line of conductor stones. He thought it was strange that he hadn’t noticed it when leaving the crew cart, but he attributed it to the stench of the steerage cart-the ozone smell was a striking contrast. All the same, he lingered in the space between the carts, peering to the sides and down. He glanced up, and noticed dark clouds blowing in from the west. A storm on the way.
“What is it?” the marshal behind him asked.
“Nothing.” He slid open the door to the next cart and went through, ready to search every compartment until he found the fugitive.
Gaven shifted just slightly, looking up from under the small platform at the end of the steerage cart. He saw the door sliding shut behind the Sentinel Marshals, and he let out a long, slow breath.
That was close, he thought. Something made that marshal suspicious.
“Lord Marshal!” a voice cried from the station, very close. Afraid he’d been spotted, Gaven pulled his head back down, clinging to the underside of the platform. His heart pounded, and his muscles started to shake from the exertion of holding himself in place.
The marshal’s next words hit him like a punch in the stomach. “We’ve got the woman!”
CHAPTER 20
Lightning flashed along the crew cart as it started moving again, and a long rumble of thunder answered it in the sky. Gaven took advantage of the sound to jump to the roof of the next cart, where he’d seen them take Senya. His feet slipped on the damp surface, and he started to fall before his hands caught the beam that ran the length of the cart. He hung there for a moment, breathing slowly, before pulling himself back up to a crouch, straddling the beam.
He still hadn’t decided what he wanted to do. A loud voice in his mind told him to forget Senya. It seemed clear that the Sentinel Marshals were trying to lure him out of hiding by holding her, and he wasn’t eager to fall into their trap. She had chosen to follow him around. He had made no request of her, and he told himself he owed her
