Her heart tripped rapidly in her chest. She thought of a song to calm herself, chanted in time to the music, but her voice quivered. She was no monk. There would be no serenity for her in this fight.
The spell manifested in a burst of energy. Icelin's hair blew straight back from her face. The hot wind made her eyes stream. She lifted her hands, and the wind rose, spiraling outward to the door in a contained funnel. The force of it grated against the wood, forcing the door tight into its frame. The pounding ceased.
'Ruen! Sull, let's go! I can't hold it for long!' Icelin screamed above the wind.
Sull turned, his mallet tangled with Shenan's dagger. He kept barreling into her, knocking her off balance so she couldn't cast a proper spell. 'Hold on, lass. We're comin'!'
Icelin heard a loud thud. It sounded like someone had been thrown into a pile of crates. She was too focused on the spell to see whether it was a friend or a foe.
The breath burned in her chest. Too hot, she thought. The air thickened, and sweat poured down her face. The spell was too strong. It was happening just like before, but this would be much worse. She could feel the heat building. Paint bubbled on the warehouse walls.
Gods, don't do this to me. Not again.
Five years fell away like scales. She was losing control; the spell was slipping away, taking on a life of its own. Icelin was powerless to stop it. She could hear the screams coming from the boardinghouse. So many people, trying to get out…
The wooden door buckled in its frame. Frightened shouts rang out from the other side. Icelin fought to contain the wind, to keep it caged in its deadly funnel.
Flames burst into being and flew along the funnel's rim. Icelin could do nothing but watch them, a dozen restless sprites spiraling through the air. Pain shot through her after each flame appeared, as if they were being torn from her body.
Icelin dropped to her knees, and the funnel burst. Freed, the fire shot in all directions. The deadly flame arrows buried in crates or ricocheted off the tin walls.
Everyone in the warehouse would be a target, Icelin thought wildly. She couldn't end the spell; the magic became unrecognizable once the spell went wild. She had no way to contain it now.
Through a haze of smoke and pain, Icelin felt a presence behind her. For all she knew, it could have been Cerest or one of his men, come to stick a dagger in her back. Somehow, she knew it was Ruen. The thief crouched behind her.
'Can you walk?' He had to shout to be heard above the roaring wind.
Icelin shook her head. The slight movement made her vision swim.
'I can't touch you,' Ruen said. 'My ring will enhance the spell. It could kill us all.'
'Where's Sull?' Icelin said. 'Fannie-she's here too.' She couldn't see them through the smoke. The crates were on fire, the blaze spreading to every corner of the warehouse. Soon the ceiling would collapse, just as it had done five years ago.
'Sull and Fannie are fine,' Ruen said. 'The others fled in fear of your spell.'
Relief flooded Icelin, bringing with it a sense of peace. This was justice, she thought. I will die here and never hurt anyone again.
'Go,' Icelin said. 'Get out of here. Make sure Sull gets to safety, and your marker is paid. That's all I care-'
A wave of energy shuddered through Icelin's body. She felt the last vestiges of the spell inside her explode outward. The door and part of the wall blew apart, but Icelin didn't hear the grinding, tearing metal. The force of the blast deafened her.
'How convenient,' Ruen said. He was still shouting, but his voice seemed to come from very far away. He had his hands at her armpits, dragging her to her feet. 'You made us a door.'
'You shouldn't have… done that,' Icelin said. She swayed on her feet. A beam broke away from the ceiling, trailing a sheet of flame all the way to the ground.
'We've got to run,' Ruen said. He took her hand, yanking her behind him. 'Put your arms around my neck.'
'But the ring-'
'Do it!'
Icelin wrapped her arms around him. Ruen lifted her onto his back and sprinted to the gap in the wall. Icelin felt as if she were flying. More beams dropped around them, but Ruen found a path through as if by magic. The fire and smoke were everywhere, but he kept running.
Suddenly they were through. Cool air hit Icelin's face. It was daylight.
The twisted opening spat them out onto a small dock behind the warehouse. Parts of it burned with the building, but Ruen didn't stop to see if it would hold their weight. He charged down the narrow platform all the way to the edge and jumped into the water.
The impact shook Icelin loose from Ruen's back, but he stayed beside her. The cold water shocked her limbs into functioning. With Ruen's aid, she swam to the surface.
'We'll say in the harbor,' Ruen said when they'd caught their breath. 'Swim underwater as much as you can,' he told her. 'They'll be watching to see if we survived. We've got to find cover.'
He dived down. Icelin followed, keeping a hand on his flank so she wouldn't lose him in the murky water. As far as she could tell, they were headed roughly in the direction of the shore.
They surfaced in a thick stand of brush about thirty feet from the dock. Sull waited in the weeds.
'I saw you go off the dock,' he said. 'Fannie slipped away. No one's watching that I can see.'
Icelin was shaking by the time she got out of the water. When she came within reach, Sull pulled her against his chest, hugging ber so hard Icelin couldn't breathe.
'I'm all right,' Icelin said weakly. She patted him on the back.
'Thought I'd lost you, little one,' the butcher said roughly. He released her and mopped his eyes with his apron. Ruen stood a little apart, scanning the area. The warehouse continued its slow collapse, but they were clear of the devastation.
'Let's get out of here,' Ruen said finally. He moved away, crouching low along the shoreline, not waiting for their reply.
'Where are we goin'?' Sull asked. He led Icelin by the hand, half-supporting her. 'She needs rest.'
'Back into the water,' Ruen said. He waded in up to his waist. 'Keep her head up. She'll be fine.'
The water felt colder. Icelin's teeth chattered, but she swam with Sull's aid, following Ruen into the harbor.
They swam clear of the dock and out into open water. The sky was gray and overcast. In the distance, deep blue clouds threatened rain, but the day was still too bright. Icelin felt horribly exposed. At any moment, she expected shouts to go up from the shore.
'Don't worry,' Ruen said, seeing her expression. 'We're going under.' He took in her chattering teeth and general state of disarray. 'Sull, you'll have to tow her if she slows.'
'I can make it,' Icelin said, but she slurred the words.
'We'll stay under until we reach the wreckage,' Ruen said, nodding to the floating mass of Mistshore's main body. 'We should be able to swim under the docks and footpaths. Ready?'
Icelin nodded, and they dived. Sull kept one arm around her and used the other to swim close to Ruen.
They swam for what seemed like an eternity. After a time, Icelin simply floated in Sull's grip, concentrating on keeping her breath in her body. When she felt she could bear no more, Sull angled upward to the light.
They came up under one of the wooden pathways. There was barely room for their heads underneath the rotting planks, but the sound of the waves lapping against the pilings concealed their gasping breaths.
Icelin could hear footsteps echoing loudly just above their heads. 'Where are you taking us?' she whispered..
Ruen put a finger to his lips. He disappeared beneath the surface, leaving her and Sull to tread water.
'We should swim back to shore,' Icelin said. 'I don't like this.' She expected Sull to echo the sentiment, but the butcher shook his head. Water plastered his red hair over his ears.
'I wouldn't have found you without him,' Sull said. 'He tracked you. Persistent as a demon, he was. Ghosted into that warehouse and took out the meanest of the elPs men without a sound.'
'But why?' Icelin said. 'He never wanted to help me. He could have left you on the beach to die.'
