ARC: Assassin Queen (40 page)

Mai
’
s body unfolded like a whip, his staff descending in a perfect arch to hit the man in the chest. Kyth could tell that it was only a light wound, but it gave him a chance to call more spiders. And then, it was Mai and Kara, fighting one on one.

They were so perfectly matched that for a moment it was easy to forget that this was a fight to the death, and that right now Kara was an enemy, driven by an alien mind. They anticipated each other like no other, her swords flying around his staff, each blow met with a perfect counterpart. Yet, it was clear that Mai was already too exhausted. He staggered, falling back under the force of Kara
’
s blows. She pressed on, kicking his staff away, crowding on him until he had nowhere to go. Her blade descended straight down, into the spot between his collarbones.

Time slowed as Kyth watched Mai
’
s body fold backward, skidding to the floor at his feet. For a brief moment, it seemed like a nightmare that couldn
’
t possibly be true. Then the reality caught up, reverberating in Kyth
’
s gut with a feeling of hopelessness worse than anything he ever felt before. His eyes locked on Kara, her face just as calm as she stepped over Mai
’
s body and raised her blades again, advancing on to him.
Too far gone.
He wanted to scream, to shake her back to her senses, but he knew that he had to run with all his might, for letting her reach him would mean certain death, would negate everything Mai sacrificed himself for.

Two Majat stepped into her path and the fighting resumed. Kyth snapped back to alertness. The whole fight just now took only a few seconds, yet he couldn
’
t possibly spare even this much. Mai was dead. After the few remaining Majat fell, no one was going to protect him and enable him to complete the task. It was now or never.

He gathered all his force as he rushed at the hooded figure standing still in the center of the room.

The Reincarnate darted backward as he saw the menace, surprisingly quick yet not nearly fast enough for the enraged Kyth, rushing at him head-on. His coal-red eyes glowed as he watched Kyth
’
s approach. Even without the stone, the power he emanated seemed enormous, making the air around him seem thick like a cocoon. Kyth reached through it and clasped the Reincarnate
’
s face, drawing toward him, covering his lips in a kiss.

The Reincarnate
’
s skin was burning hot, the taste of his magic gagging, like the reek of death itself. Kyth forced away all these sensations as he gathered the entire power boiling within him, drawing on the elements, searching for the bonds that held the man
’
s body together, calling forth the fire. Power crackled around them like a gathering storm as they stood there, locked in a lovers
’
embrace.
Fire. You’re going to burn, bastard.
Kyth clasped on tighter, pulling the bony man into him, wondering if the power that raged within him was going to consume them both, now that they were so close they felt like one. He didn
’
t care. He committed all of himself to this bond, not holding back anything at all.

His vision filled with two glowing red eyes, bulging and twisting out of their sockets. Steam rose off the Reincarnate
’
s skin, burning his face and hands. He distanced himself from the pain, focusing on holding his power steady, drawing on the fabric of the world, disintegrating the body in his grasp through agony that seemed to last a lifetime.

A silent shudder shook the walls of the stronghold, and Kyth sensed it extend out, spreading over the sands and rocks of the desert like a tidal wave. Steam enfolded him, hotter than the pits of hell. He heard the Reincarnate
’
s screams, and his own, briefly wondering if he had gone too far, if the power of the elements he had called on was going to obliterate his own body too, and all life around them.

His fingers clasping the Reincarnate
’
s face fell through it, grasping the empty robe. He collapsed with it, his mind going dark.

40

Aftermath

Kara. I must save Kara.

Kyth lifted his head. He had no idea how much time had passed. Weapon clanging in the room had ceased, the only sounds around him moans and gasps of the wounded and dying.
Is it over?
The thought seemed strangely detached, distant compared to the exhaustion he felt. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest as he gathered all his strength and pulled himself upright.

The room was in chaos, the floor strewn with bodies amidst the settling dust dissipating from the place where the stone slab used to be. Only three figures were still standing. Two black-clad Majat, looking grim and exhausted, as if barely able to maintain a grip on their weapons. And, opposite them, a white-robed figure.
Kara.

A chill ran down Kyth
’
s spine.

At first he had mistaken the black circle around her feet for a heap of black cloth. Then he realized these were spiders, crowded around her to form a dense ring. The nearest ones were raising up, poised to leap, yet something seemed to hold them back.

Kyth scrambled up to his feet.

“Kara!”

She turned, the expression in her widened eyes terrified, lost.

Is she still one of them?
Kyth looked at the spiders again. If they were sure she was a Kaddim, they would have jumped her already during the time Kyth was unconscious and could not control them at all. The fact that they hesitated told him that there was still hope left, that she still had time.
The link. We must break the link.

“
Find Nimos!
”
he shouted.
“
You must be touching him when he dies!
”

She looked down at the spider wall around her.

Kyth lowered his head, sending them a silent signal. The ring parted instantly, letting her through. He rushed after her, searching for the white-robed bodies scattered over the floor. Some of them were motionless, others writhing in death agony, deformed beyond recognition by the work of the spider poison.
Dear Shal Addim, please don’t let Nimos be dead already.
But even if he was still alive, could they find him in time? Could they still recognize him?

He turned to the Majat.
“
Get all the Kaddim together, dead and dying. Pile them up. Quick!
”

They obeyed, the Jades from the doorway joining them too, drawn by the urgency in his voice. Kyth staggered in exhaustion as he dragged the half-dissolved human flesh into one big pile, like a funeral pyre consumed by poison instead of a flame. Screams and moans echoed in the air. Kyth distanced himself from it.

“
Found him,
”
Kara said.
“
I think.
”

She was kneeling beside one of the bodies, the man
’
s bony hands, still intact, reaching up to her. Kyth shivered. The disfigured face was impossible to recognize, except for the distinct eye shape. Black on black, without any whites, like the eyes of an owl.
Nimos. Thank Shal Addim.

The dying man clasped Kara
’
s wrists. She screamed as he made contact. Kyth rushed to her side, watching her fall forward, twisting and screaming, the black triangle of the Kaddim mark on her arm smoldering into her flesh. She writhed on the floor in a death embrace, Nimos
’
s arms locked onto hers, as if intending to take her with him.
Can he?
Kyth knew that whatever happened, there was nothing he could possibly do except wait. He knelt beside her, wishing he could relieve her agony, feeling utterly powerless to do anything at all.

It seemed to take forever before the grasping hands of her enemy fell away, the black eyes rolling still, then imploding and dissolving like the rest of the flesh. As Kara collapsed beside him, the chamber receded into absolute stillness.

Kyth leaned over her, stroking the sweaty hair away from her face, grasping her hand, marred by a fresh burn spreading from the place where the Kaddim mark on her arm had been. Her skin blistered away, as if she had been holding her arm in the fire all this time. It must have hurt terribly, yet Kyth knew that the burning itself must have felt like nothing compared to the rest of her pain.

The surviving Majat gathered around them
–
four men, all that was left of the entire elite force of top Gems that had penetrated the Kaddim fortress under Mai
’s command.

Kyth looked at all the bodies scattered around the room. There was no way they could leave all the Majat here, but with so few of them left, all exhausted from the battle, they couldn
’
t possibly do anything to retrieve them. Could they count on a rescue? Belatedly, Kyth thought of the battle that for all he knew might still be going on outside. Did Ayalla ever tell him what would happen to the Kaddim defenders after the Reincarnate was destroyed? Would they lose some of their power? Would the spiders Alder had out there be able to finish the job? He extended his senses to the outside of the fortress, but couldn
’
t detect what was going on. Just in case, he relayed the signal through the spiders to the ones Alder still carried on his shoulder
. Come and get us. We need help.

He started as Kara
’
s hand closed around his with unexpected force. Her eyes fluttered open, focusing on him. She looked so drawn, exhausted, her hollow face pale gray. Yet, as he leaned closer, he detected no Kaddim magic from her.

He smiled, but she didn
’
t give him any time to speak. Her violet eyes shone with urgency as she used him for support to pull herself upright.

“Mai,”
she said.

Kyth paused. Did she remember anything that happened? Did she recall striking Mai down? His eyes trailed to the slim, black-clad shape sprawled on the floor a few paces away, so limp it was hard to imagine that this body had once been capable of so much power. He fixed his gaze on it, afraid to turn back to Kara and see the expression on her face.

Kara clambered up to her feet and rushed to Mai
’
s side, kneeling beside him and pulling off his mask.

Kyth swallowed the rising tears. Underneath the mask, Mai
’
s face looked so calm, his blue-gray eyes staring unseeingly into the ceiling, his arms thrown out to the sides as if in his death he was striving to embrace the world. The hole at the base of his throat gaped like an ugly dark void, splotches of blood around it marring Mai
’
s flawless white skin. Kyth clasped a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle his trembling lips. A grown man like him was not supposed to cry, but he couldn
’
t possibly control it.

He was surprised at the way Kara showed no such reaction at all. She leaned down to peer into Mai
’
s face, her expression focused and intent, as if the sight of his death didn
’
t affect her in the least.
Has she gone mad? Did the Kaddim link damage her mind?
Kyth felt too exhausted to wonder. He knew that no matter how hard it seemed right now, it was his job to try and comfort her, ease her grief that he knew must be choking her now.

Just as he was about to step toward her, Kara raised her hands, her fingers hitting several spots at the top of Mai
’
s chest. His body shuddered, his head rolling to the side to face the far wall.

Kyth stared. Kara was clearly mad. He should stop her, before she defaced Mai
’
s body. He opened his mouth to protest, but her urgent look stopped him.

“
Do you have any of the Keepers
’
elixir with you, Kyth?
”

The Keepers’ elixir.
Kyth
’
s eyes widened. She was speaking of a magical cure the Keepers possessed, a liquid that could heal deadly wounds in a manner of minutes. Did she mean…?

He opened and closed his mouth several times, struggling to find his voice.
“
Did you
…
Did you hit him with a harmless blow?
”

Kara shook her head.
“
Not so harmless, as you can see. With his fighting skill, it was bloody hard to hit him right.
”

“
Then he
… he
’
s not dead?
”

She clenched her teeth.
“
Not if I can help it. The elixir! Do you have any?
”

“
No. But help is on the way. They should be here any minute.
”
I hope.

She grasped a knife off Mai
’
s belt and cut off a strip of her shirt, pressing it to his wound.

“
Normally,
”
she said,
“
I should
’
ve been able to revive him by now. I
’
m afraid my blade did too much damage. I don
’
t want to try anything else until his wound is healed
–
if we can do it quickly enough.
”

Kyth struggled through the stupor that enfolded him. He felt so worn out that every movement felt like a chore.

“
The spiders,
”
he said.
“
They can help to keep him stable until help arrives.
”

“
The spiders?
”
She frowned, her eyes darting to the furry creatures milling nearby. Kyth couldn
’
t blame her for being afraid, after seeing the havoc they had caused in the enemies
’
ranks. Just a few weeks ago they scared him witless too, before he had embraced Ayalla
’
s magic and learned to see them in a good light.

He gave the silent command, sending the spiders running, piling onto Mai
’
s chest to cover the gaping wound. He lent them more of his magic, to make sure they were able to sustain the life force within, to keep it from seeping away. It wasn
’
t the same healing as Ayalla was capable of, but for the moment it had to do.

Kara stared at them for a second, then rose to her feet, turning to the other Majat, watching the scene warily.

“
Take off everyone
’
s masks,
”
she ordered.
“Quick!”

After a brief hesitation the men rushed into action, seeking out the black-clad bodies, pulling off masks. Kyth shivered, watching the faces of his fallen defenders coming out into view. Raishan, his eyes closed, his leaden-pale face caked with a crust of drying blood. Lance, his half-opened lips still holding the cocky grin that Kyth had always found so annoying. He stood, dumbfounded, watching Kara rush around them, his mind catching up too slowly as he realized what she was doing.

“
Are you trying to revive all of them?
”
he asked.

She didn
’
t even look at him as she nodded.
“
As many as I can. And by the way, if you
’
re not too exhausted, you can feel free to help.
”

Kyth rushed to her side. He wasn
’
t sure what he was supposed to do, so he focused on seeking out bodies, pulling masks off. The first man he touched actually stirred and opened his eyes. A Ruby, the one who had helped Kyth to scale the wall. He reached to feel the pulse, finding it steady.

“
How did you do it?
”
he asked Kara.

She frowned, kneeling at the side of an unconscious man to hit some pressure points on his neck.
“
The Kaddim link. They used it to share my skill. But I realized fairly quickly that it actually worked both ways. They could control me, but I could control them too
–
to an extent.
”

To an extent.
Kyth stared.
“
Control
them?
”

“
Yes. I had to make it look believable that I was on their side, or they would
’
ve killed me on the spot and captured all my ability at once. The best I could do was turn their blows into non-fatal ones. It worked better for some than it did for others.
”
Her eyes trailed to Mai, her expression telling Kyth more than words.

A faint echo carried through the passage behind them, footsteps rattling down the stone hallway. Kyth
’
s heart raced with hope. Were they being rescued
–
or did the Kaddim survivors find them at last?

He had no time to wonder, because just then he sensed a tremor, the stones of the fortress around them shuddering, as if no longer certain of the forces that held them together. Kyth froze.