A Dance of Cloaks (47 page)

“In case you need it,” she said. He looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot. Kayla saw how much fear there was within them, but she also saw his determination. The night before came back to her, reminding her of what she had wished to tell him.

“If I tell you something,” she said. “Something good, something hopeful, will you leave my operation be?”

Haern tucked the dagger into his belt. It weighed less than a dagger should, and its curve was greater than he liked, but it was vastly better than nothing.

“I promise,” he said, not sure if he was lying or not.

“Delysia is alive,” Kayla said. Her words struck him like a hammer. “I brought her to the priests of Ashhur. They saved her. Whatever vendetta you carry, whatever guilt, just let it go. Make your new life elsewhere, Haern.”

She blew him a kiss and then hopped off the roof, slowing her fall by grabbing hold with her hand for a brief moment. Haern didn’t come near to listen to her take charge, didn’t look down the streets where members of the three guilds seemed to come out of nowhere. All he could think of was of how Delysia had bled in his arms, the arrow piercing her back.

Hearn remembered the phantom image of the girl that had haunted his stay in Karak’s temple, of her pleading with him, of the cold fire and her insistence that she had prayed to deaf ears. All lies. The Lion’s lies. He felt his anger grow.

“Kayla,” he said. “Thank you so much.”

He turned and leapt from wall to wall, feeling his heart soaring at the news. Delysia was alive. He couldn’t believe it. Delysia was alive. Praise Ashhur,
alive.

Despite his joy, he knew he couldn’t abandon his responsibility. He’d keep his promise, though. Kayla had said Senke was leading the other assault. Hoping he still had time, Haern dropped to the ground and raced his way toward Leon Connington’s estate.

A
t Kayla’s command, the three guilds split and surrounded Gemcroft’s estate. James and his Ash Guild took the east, Kadish and his Hawks the west. They used no stealth, no subterfuge. Tonight was a night of open power, a display for the whole city to see. The underworld had risen, its teeth were bared, and while the moon crept over the wall, they would taste blood.

“You see them?” asked Veliana, who had insisted she stay with the Spider Guild instead of accompanying her guildmaster. She pointed toward one of the lower windows. Its curtains ruffled and swayed.

“Guards” Kayla said. “There shouldn’t be many.”

“And if there are?” asked Veliana.

Kayla shrugged.

“Then we have more to kill,” she said as she raised her hand. Scouts from both guilds saw her movement and mimicked it. After a count to five, she flung down her arm. With the soft sigh of ruffled cloaks and padded feet, the assault began.

Kayla led the front, climbing up ropes that her guildmembers flung over the spikes at the top. She vaulted over, Veliana at her side and keeping up with every movement. Fifty of the Spider Guild landed on the front lawn. Once gathered together, Kayla charged ahead, her cloak flapping behind her and her hands clutching two of her throwing daggers. During their planning, the one thing they couldn’t account for with certainty was the deadliness of Gemcroft’s traps. Her heart in her throat, Kayla dashed across the grass toward the front door, praying she wasn’t one of the unlucky ones.

An explosion from behind knocked her to the ground. Rock and dirt rained atop her as several men screamed in pain. Veliana’s arms were upon her instantly, tugging her up and pushing her forward.

“Never stop,” Veliana shouted as they ran. More explosions rocked the lawn, turning its pristine slopes and gentle curves into a violent assault of fire and stone. Kayla had no idea what magic might be behind them. A few of her guildmembers had rushed ahead of her, and she watched one scream as flame burst upward from a sudden tear in the ground. The force blew him all the way back against the gate. His head snapped violently against the bars. Kayla forced herself to look away. She heard similar explosions of noise and force from other parts of the estate. It seemed the devilish traps completely surrounded the building.

When they were halfway to the front doors, windows on all floors flung open. Guards with bows and crossbows peered out, unleashing a deadly barrage. The thieves rolled and ducked, some inadvertently setting off more of the explosions. Smoke billowed to the sky. Kayla flung a dagger, wounding one guard in the shoulder. She saved the rest. The distance was too great.

A stone portico protected them from arrows at the main door. Kayla moved aside as two Spiders knelt before it and pulled out their lockpicking instruments.

“They’ll have it barred,” Veliana shouted.

“One thing at a time,” Kayla yelled back.

The rest of the Spider Guild collected underneath the covering, a few stepping out to hurl daggers or fire crossbows. Veliana watched for a moment, then grabbed Kayla’s arm.

“Move out, now!” she shouted. “Go through the windows.”

“What?” asked Kayla.

“The locks! If the same trap were on the lock…”

It was too late. The doors exploded outward, fire trailing after the shockwave. Kayla rolled along the ground, lucky to have been far enough to the side. Laying on her stomach, she looked up through the smoke and debris to see a great pile of corpses spread out along the steps leading to the door. Fellow members of her guild lay twisted and burned, some with bones poking out from their skin, others still alive and sobbing in pain.

Of her initial fifty, only fifteen remained alive and able to fight.

“Shit,” Veliana said beside her, resting on her hands and knees. “Hope the others are doing better.”

Kayla accepted Veliana’s help up. They rushed the doors, which were now wide open. Soldiers with spears braced before the entrance. Compared to the traps, though, they were a welcome relief. Kayla hurled her daggers while two others fired crossbows. The rest of the Spiders dashed between the spears, lashing out with their blades. Only six men had come to guard the front, far too few to hold them off. Once broken, the rest of the guild flooded inside. Kayla stopped at the inner foyer, slumping against a side wall and closing her eyes for a moment.

“We can’t hide this,” Veliana said, having remained at her side.

“We follow our orders,” Kayla said, her eyes still closed.

“Forget your orders. Maynard won’t fall for this trap. His yard is wrecked, his doors broken. Fuck, I wouldn’t be surprised if they can see this smoke all the way from the Kensgold.”

“We need to find out how the others fared,” Kayla said, pushing herself off the wall. “And no matter what, we need to prepare this place for burning.”

Screams filled the halls as the Spiders pushed deeper into the mansion. On the far sides, the Hawks and Ashes were certainly doing the same. The two women explored the estate. The occasional body of a guard lay in their path, but more often it was that of a young girl or boy wearing plain clothes. Simple servants, Kayla noted. She tried to steel herself against what she saw. She knew this would happen, she had warned herself plenty, but the carnage was horrific.

They stepped into a bedroom to find two Hawks standing over a young girl who couldn’t be any older than twelve. Her clothes were torn, her face bruised. Veliana inhaled sharply, recognizing one of them as Victor. The other was just pulling down his pants when Kayla flung a dagger deep into his back.

“What the
fuck
?” shouted Victor. Kayla twirled another dagger in hand, her eyes wide with anger.

“Clean and quick,” she said. “I made that damn clear before.”

“That what you want?” said the Hawk. “Fine. Come here, bitch.”

He grabbed the girl, flung her down onto her knees, and then slashed open her throat. The girl cried and gagged as her blood spilled across her dress. Letting go of her hair, Victor laughed as she dropped dead to the carpet.

“Hope you’re happy,” he said. “She might have had a few more minutes of fun before we did her in.”

The dagger stopped its twirl in Kayla’s hand. The two stared at one another. Veliana watched, a smirk growing across her face.

“Don’t you d…” Victor started to say before Kayla flung her dagger. It stabbed up to the hilt in his chest. His eyes bulged at her. Veliana stepped close and grabbed his hair in her hands.

“You betrayed me,” she told him. “A shame I don’t have the time to make you suffer.”

He died, Veliana’s dagger rammed deep into this throat. Tears ran down Kayla’s cheeks as she stared at all the blood. She did her best to hold in her sobs, but one still escaped. Her shoulders shook.

“You aren’t made for this,” Veliana said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Go back. Appoint someone else to be in charge.”

Kayla thought of all the sacrifices she’d already made to put herself in this position. After tonight, she would be in Thren’s highest graces. She would almost be a queen in power. But when she looked over at Veliana and saw the honest compassion in her eyes, her resolve broke.

“Thren wants us to kill you,” Kayla whispered.

A shadow seemed to fall over Veliana’s face.

“What?” she asked.

“Once the mansion is secure, we are to help the Hawks kill you all,” Kayla explained. “Please, you must get out now.”

“But we gave in,” Veliana said. “We gave him what he wanted.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kayla said. “James resisted once. He might again. This night is Thren’s victory, don’t you understand? Not over just the Trifect, but over everyone. He’s even planned to kill the king. After tonight, the city is his.”

Veliana slammed the door to the bedroom shut and spun to face Kayla.

“We have little time then,” she said. “Were your men to wait for a signal?”

Kayla shook her head.

“The Hawks were to start it. We just needed to stay out of the way and help if needed.”

“Shit,” muttered Veliana. “I need to warn James. We need to get him out of here, now!”

Kayla shook her head, then wiped away a few of her tears.

“Can’t you hear?” she asked. “It’s already started.”

Veliana paused to listen, the color draining out of her face. Screams had indeed continued. Each had thought at first that it was Gemcroft’s guards, or perhaps remaining members of his household. But they were too many and too scattered for how much time had passed. The Hawks had turned on the Ash, without warning and without mercy.

“They have twice as many as we,” Veliana said, her eyes wide with shock. “We thought to flee, or turn on them. Never did we think so soon, so…”

She stopped and looked at Kayla.

“You knew,” she said.

Kayla weakly nodded her head.

“I did,” she replied.

“You let us walk into this damn trap, all because of Thren, all because of that stupid egotistical twat. I’ll make him pay. I’ll…his son. Where is his son?”

“Aaron?” Kayla asked as she took a small step backward, her hand resting on her belt of daggers. Veliana drew her own two and then pointed one at Kayla’s neck.

“You know his plans,” Veliana said. “I may not be skilled enough to kill Thren, but I can kill his son. Where is he?”

Already conflicted, Kayla hesitated. Veliana was faster. She dodged to one side, avoiding the hurled dagger, and then kicked Kayla in the head. As Kayla collapsed, Veliana fell upon her, her knees on her wrists and her dagger at her throat.

“Tell me,” Veliana seethed, her face inches from Kayla’s. “Tell me, or I’ll do to you what was done to me.” Her wounded eye was ugly and red, and Kayla stared at the milky pupil in horror as Veliana’s dagger slowly trailed up her neck toward her left eye.

“I sent him away,” Kayla said. “He was watching us, so I made him promise to leave us be. He’s turned against his father. He wants to stop all this, but he’s just a boy. Just a stupid boy.”

Veliana left her dagger pressed against Kayla’s face as she thought. If Aaron was anything like Thren, then his promises were both true and false. He’d follow the letter, but not the law. He wanted to stop Thren, and he’d promised Kayla to leave her be. That left one option.

“He’s at Connington’s estate,” Veliana whispered. “He must be.”

She stood and slowly backed away, watching for the slightest movement on Kayla’s part.

“You gave me warning,” Veliana said. “For that I let you live.”

“Aaron has done no wrong,” Kayla said, her voice a fraction above pleading.

“Neither did she,” Veliana said, pointing at the body of the dead girl. She put her ear against the door, listening. When all was silent, she kicked it open and ran. Kayla crawled to her knees and sat there, not bothering to find out if Veliana escaped or not. She stared at the bodies around her and wondered how she had fallen so far. All she had wanted was a bit of coin, but Thren had given her a taste of power. He’d hinted at something even greater. Now an ocean of blood swirled across the mansion floor, its guilt on her as much as anyone else. Except Thren.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Thren Felhorn stepped inside the room and glanced about. Dimly she wondered how much time had passed.

“The Ash Guild is no more,” he said, sounding disinterested. He stepped about, seeing the dead Hawks and the young girl. “What is going on here, Kayla? Get off your knees. You aren’t some low-rent whore.”