The Traitor Queen

struggling or speaking. With his back to Lorandra, hopefully she wouldn’t notice.

His grip on her head loosened as the weakening effect of black magic took hold, but she held his hands in place. Opening her eyes, she sent magic out to stop him sinking to the ground. He stared back at her, his pupils wide with anger and fear.

Yes. Fear me, she thought. This time you’ve underestimated your victim. Too eager to get hold of what you want.

But she must not underestimate him, either. Or his mother. Right now Lorandra was more of a danger than Skellin. She would notice something was wrong eventually, and she still had the knife at Anyi’s throat. Lilia felt a pang of doubt and slowed her drawing of power. She did not know how long it would take to strip away most of it, and she needed to decide what she’d do once she had.

I must protect Anyi before Lorandra realises I’m draining Skellin. She turned her head slightly, so that she could see Anyi, and extended her senses and magic. Somehow she must place a barrier between the knife and Anyi’s skin without either of them noticing. Concentrating on drawing power and using it at the same time was challenging. Kallen should have taught me to do this...

Her magic encountered a resistance.

A barrier! Lorandra’s barrier. It can only be hers. Skellin can’t use his power.

At once she knew she’d made a mistake. Lorandra frowned. She knows I shouldn’t be doing anything with magic. Skellin would stop me. In horror, she watched Lorandra’s eyes widen with realisation, then narrow with fury.

Lilia drew power and sent it out toward Lorandra even as the woman’s hand moved. Red burst from Anyi’s throat.

No! Lilia let Skellin fall. As Lorandra’s barrier shattered she caught Anyi and pressed her hand to the girl’s throat. Blood poured between her fingers. She wrapped herself and Anyi in a shield, lowered her friend to the deck and sent her mind into her body. Close! she commanded of the rent tubes that carried Anyi’s blood. Healing power poured from her, knitting together flesh. The tubes became whole, the muscle repaired. Hope rushed through Lilia, but as skin melded to skin she loosened her grip on Anyi’s throat. Was I fast enough? Did she lose too much blood?

Anyi lay still, her eyes staring at the sails and sky above them. Her face was pale. Her lips blue. But she’s alive. Heart beating. Still breathing. Alive but...

A scream burst from somewhere close by. Startled, Lilia turned to see Lorandra getting up out of a crouch, Skellin at her feet. He, too, was staring at the sky. Lorandra turned to face Lilia. At the fury twisting the woman’s face Lilia instinctively strengthened her shield, but no strike came.

Instead the air before Lorandra rippled. Lilia felt heat and caught an impression of skin and cloth darkening to black. Flames flared, outlining Lorandra’s form. The woman shrieked, staggered backwards and toppled over the railing.

Stunned by the image still burned into her mind, Lilia could not move for a moment. Then she realised the crew around her were shouting, and objects were raining down from above. Sails. Rope. A wooden beam bounced off her shield. Something was destroying the ship’s rigging. Probably the same something that had struck Lorandra. Straightening and stretching her neck, she looked around and glimpsed another vessel, a purple-robed figure standing at the helm, approaching from the other side of the ship.

“Lilia?”

Catching her breath she looked down at Anyi. The girl’s eyes were open. Lilia’s heart leapt with joy and relief.

“You’re alive! You’re alive.” Lilia lay down next to Anyi and pulled her close. “How are you feeling?”

“Awful. But not as bad as I think that bitch is – if she’s still alive.”

“You saw that?”

“Yeah. Thought I was dreaming.” Anyi’s lips were still tinged with blue. She frowned. “Is Skellin dead?”

Lilia looked over to the Thief, lying still a few paces away. “He looks it, but he could just be exhausted. Either way, he can’t harm us.”

“Do me a favour and check.”

Looking around, she saw that the crew were giving them a wide berth. Reluctantly, Lilia got up and walked over to Skellin. His face was locked in an expression of pain and surprise. He wasn’t breathing. Touching him, she sensed no energy within him. Deader than dead. But I hadn’t finished draining him when Lorandra cut Anyi’s throat. Remembering how she had drawn power in order to break Lorandra’s shield, she realised where she had drawn it from. She’d defeated Lorandra with Skellin’s power.

Lilia looked over the railing. She had expected to see Lorandra’s body floating nearby, but there was no sign of it. She returned to Anyi and sat down. “Yes. He’s dead. The Guild isn’t going to be happy about that.”

Anyi made a rude noise.

“Not because of roet,” Lilia said. “They wanted to find out who his allies are, especially those in the Guild.”

“Don’t worry,” Anyi scowled. “Father will find who they are.”

Lilia’s breath caught in her throat. She doesn’t know...

Anyi’s eyes went wide. “He... he wasn’t pretending, was he?”

Biting her lip, Lilia shook her head.

A look of pain creased Anyi’s face. She swore. But as Lilia reached out to embrace her, Anyi shook her head, her face hardening. “Time for that later. We still have a lot to do, and we can’t let... Father made sure what was done to his family made him stronger, not weaker. I have to be strong, too.” Anyi pushed herself up onto her elbows, but her face went even paler and she sank back down again.

“Rest,” Lilia told her. “You’ve lost a lot of blood and your body needs time to make more.”

“How long will that take?”

Lilia shrugged. “I’m not sure. A few days, maybe.” She smiled sadly at Anyi’s grimace of impatience. I fear it’ll take a lot longer for her heart to mend than her body, though. “You need food and water. Rothen will be here any moment.” She craned her neck to see that the other vessel was drawing alongside the ship.

Anyi nodded. Looking around, Lilia spotted the tattered clothing she had been wearing. “I should get dressed.”

“Yes. Why did Skellin make you strip down to your underclothes?” One of Anyi’s eyebrows rose. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Just making sure I wasn’t carrying a knife.”

“Sounds strange, a magician worrying about knives when people who carry knives usually fear magic, but I guess black magic turns things around a bit.”

“Not any more.” As Anyi frowned, Lilia shook her head. “I’ll explain later.”

* * *

—Osen? The battle has started. I can hear sounds and flashes of light several streets away.

—Can you see the fighting?

—No. What about Dannyl?

—He contacted me to say they’ve arrived at Achati’s place, but I’ve heard nothing since then. The house is on the parade, so they’ll only see the battle if the Ashaki have to retreat.

—Do you want me to try getting closer?

—No. Stay where you are. Keep the ring on. Dannyl is sure to put his on soon, and I suspect having both of you wearing rings will be a bit... overwhelming, though Naki’s mind-read-blocking ring appears to be protecting me from your thoughts.

Sonea looked down at the other ring on her finger. She hadn’t told him about slipping away from the house that the Traitors’ guards had told them to stay in. If all went well, she wouldn’t have to.

The Traitors are only worried that we’ll interfere. So long as I don’t, I think they’ll forgive me for wanting to know what happens to my son.