The Healing Wars: Book III: Darkfall (8 page)

“Doesn’t sound like the Duke’s men,” whispered Danello. Didn’t to me, either.

“Refugees?”

“On horseback?”

Voices rose and fell, not arguing, but more than simple conversation. Maybe the guard was telling them they had to leave.

The door opened a few minutes later and the guard returned. He looked nervous.

“Well?” the soldier asked. His hand still hadn’t left his sword.

“Undying,” he said, voice quivering. My heart stopped for a beat.

The soldier glared at him, his blue eyes narrowed. “You mean the
Wardens
?”

So the Undying had an official name. I was surprised I’d never heard it before.

The guard nodded. “Wardens, yes, that’s what I meant. Six of them, plus a dozen soldiers.”

Saints, no. If Lanelle hadn’t run, she sure as spit would now.

“What did they want?”

“They didn’t tell me, they just demanded to see my commander. I sent them to the traveler’s house.”

I looked at Danello. Hoped I didn’t look that scared.

“What do we do?” the guard said.

The soldier frowned and glanced over at us. “We follow orders and guard the prisoners.”

Sunset turned to dusk. I couldn’t see what was going on outside, but the noises came and went. After a while, the door opened and another soldier came in, sergeant bars on her collar. The guard leaped to his feet; the other soldier rose casually.

“We have trouble,” she said. “Looks like the Shifter might be in the area.”

Shiverfeet raced down my back.

“Coming after the Healer?”

“Wouldn’t be the first Healer she’s killed.”

Danello squeezed my hand. They thought I was here to kill Healers? What in Saea’s name had the Duke said about me?

“She didn’t kill them, she saved them,” the guard said. Both soldiers turned their gazes on him. He stepped back. “Well, that’s what I’ve heard.”

The woman snorted. “Tell that to the dead.”

The guard said nothing. I wanted to say
something
to defend myself, foolish as it was.

“The Wardens told Betaal that the Shifter was seen at a farm a few days’ ride from here,” the woman said, “but the place is abandoned now. They’re convinced she came this way.”

They must have arrived at the farm right after we’d left. Someone must have told them I was there, one of the aristocrats who’d seen me. A spy in Little ’Crat City with some message birds maybe. They couldn’t have gotten there so fast otherwise.

“I’ll keep my eyes open. What am I looking for?”

“A girl, short black hair, sixteen or so.” She paused, then reached over and yanked the reward poster off the wall. “Like this, actually. Memorize this
face
, but do
not
approach her on your own.”

“She’s really that dangerous?”

“Ask Gemid. She almost killed his whole squad.”

“Of
Undy
—I mean, Wardens? I thought they were invulnerable.”

“No one’s impervious to everything.” She glared at him and slapped the poster against his chest. “You see this girl, you find us. Clear?”

“Yeah.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Sergeant.”

The guard sank onto his stool the moment the door thunked shut. “I like my sergeant better,” he muttered.

Danello looked over, but his it’s-all-going-to-be-okay smile didn’t make me feel any better. The guards had looked at the poster. As soon as they looked at me again, they’d recognize me.

I had no pain to use unless we hurt ourselves. Even if we did, they might see me before they came close enough for me to shift it. And if one of them got away and told the others…

Hurry, Aylin, hurry.

Dusk turned to dark. Nervous murmurs and the occasional scream drifted in through the window. The Undying were probably questioning everyone in the town. Folks had seen me in the coffeehouse and when we’d gone to see Soek. If they told the Undying about a dark-haired girl who’d been arrested…

“I can probably handle the soldier if I catch him by surprise,” Danello whispered. “Can you take out the guard?”

“Maybe. Definitely if he stabs me.”

“Are you allowed to play cards?” the guard asked the soldier. “Or will your sergeant disapprove?”

“You got coin?”

“Enough.”

“Deal then.”

On the third hand of cards, the door flew open. The soldier was on his feet in seconds, his sword out. Aylin jumped and squealed, her surprise faked. The guard nearly fell out of his chair.

“I saw her!” Aylin cried, flapping a hand out the door. She was dressed as nice as a merchant. Where had she gotten the clothes? “The Shifter, she’s out by the blacksmith’s, doing something to the forge, I think”

The soldier looked her over—her black hair, her fancy dress. I doubted she’d have his attention if she looked like she normally did. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, she looks like that poster they’re showing everyone.”

“Did you see anyone with her?”

“Maybe a man and another girl. Come on, I’ll show you.”

“No, stay here.” The soldier turned to the guard. “You, too.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

The soldier raced out. Aylin glanced out the door, concern wrinkling her brow for a moment, then it was gone. She heaved a sigh and dropped both hands onto the back of one of the chairs.

“You really saw the Shifter?” the guard asked.

She nodded fast. “I did! Nearly scared me to death. It was the flames that made me look over there. Blue, can you believe it?” She gripped the chair back.

The guard made a face. “Blue?”

“Blue as the sky. Look—” She tipped her head toward the window next to her. “You can see them from here.”

The guard went to the window. Aylin lifted the chair and smashed it down over his head. He groaned and slumped to the floor.

“Hurry, we don’t have much time,” Aylin said, stepping over the unconscious guard. “It won’t take that soldier long to figure out there’s no one by the blacksmith’s.”

“Do they even
have
a blacksmith?” I said.

“I have no idea, but I figured farmers have horses, and horses need shoes, right?” She pulled out some lock picks and knelt by the cell door.

“When did you learn to pick locks?”

“Quenji taught me.”

The lock snicked open.

“You’re both geniuses.” I slipped to the guard’s side and placed a hand on his arm.

Aylin pushed her hair back. “I didn’t hurt him much, did I?”

“He’s fine. He’ll have a headache and some bruising, but it’ll heal on its own. Where are the others? Is Lanelle still here?”

She rolled her eyes. “Barely. They’re at the docks. Quenji got us a boat.”

“What about Soek?”

“He’s in a building full of soldiers. I don’t think we can help him.”

“We can’t just leave him here.”

Danello put a hand on my arm. “Nya, she’s right. We have to warn Geveg. We can’t lose any more time. If we stop the Duke, we save everyone.” He picked up the guard’s sword and cracked open the door. “No soldiers, but there’s a lot of people out there. They look pretty angry.”

“The Undying hurt someone,” Aylin said, “an older woman. People are complaining.”

The familiar dread came back. Undying didn’t care for those who complained.

“Keep Nya between us,” said Danello, slipping out. “Less chance of her being spotted that way.”

We stayed close to the buildings and out of the yellow circles of the streetlamps. The marsh folks were gathered in front of the traveler’s house, yelling and shaking their fists.

A woman cried out, and the crowd parted not far ahead. Soldiers emerged, their eyes scanning faces as they passed. Behind the soldiers, an Undying. Danello and Aylin closed tighter around me.

“Everyone line up over there,” the Undying said, pointing against the side of the market building.

“We don’t have to listen to you,” one man shouted.

The Undying drew his sword and marched toward him. The man held his ground, but apprehension flickered across his face.

“You’ll move,
now
,” the Undying said.

“I’ll move when someone who
isn’t
eating from the Duke’s table asks me.”

The Undying backhanded him, sending him flying into the crowd. People screamed, some shouted, others charged the Undying. He braced himself but toppled under the surge of bodies.

The soldiers drew swords and charged into the mob, blades slicing randomly as they cut through. More screams, and the Undying rose out of the pile, his sword dark with blood. He thrust it at the closest person, a woman who’d been trying to help another. A man with her plunged a knife into the Undying’s hand, but the Undying yanked it out and stabbed him with it. A moment later the Undying’s wound was gone, healed and pushed into his armor. More Undying stalked into the crowd. One was huge, towering over the heads of everyone. Another was small, cutting through the crowd with quick sword swings.

“They’re going to kill them,” I said, slowing.

Danello tugged me along. “Nya, we have to get you out of here.”

“But these people!” Like when I was little. People running, soldiers chasing, blood spilling. All because one man said no to someone in blue.

“We can’t do anything about it—come on.” Danello yanked my arm and I stumbled a few steps, but I couldn’t look away.

I
could do something about this. I let go of Danello’s hand.

“Nya, what are you doing? Aylin!” he shouted.

If they were here looking for me, then the Duke already knew where I was. It wouldn’t matter if I shifted or flashed. I could stop the Undying, help these people, and free Soek.

Let’s see how much pain is in your armor.

I stepped forward into the mob and slipped behind one of the smaller Undying. I slapped my hands onto the armor and pictured dandelions blowing in the breeze.

Whoomp!

The flash echoed as the Undying screamed, high-pitched, feminine, and familiar. She turned as she fell, as everyone around us fell. Our eyes met.

Tali.

N
o!

I dropped to the ground beside her. She lay on the street unconscious, blood splattering the pynvium armor she wore.

An Undying.

Tali was an
Undying.

Jeatar’s words flooded my mind.
“You’ve seen the Undying. You know what they do. Few want to suffer all that pain or inflict it on others. But the commanders make them. They twist minds and bend wills and create the weapons the Duke wants. How long do you think Tali can last in there?”

Not long enough.

“How could they do this to you?” I whispered. I ached to pull the flash from her, wake her up, find out
why
—but she’d been killing like the others. If I woke her, I might have to hurt her again.

Anger churned my stomach, heated my skin. It was
their
fault. They’d done this to her. Twisted her, made her into a killer. I rose, fists clenched. I opened them. I’d need my hands.

“What did you do to her?” I yelled, heading for the next soldier.

The huge Undying turned and lifted his sword. I kept walking toward him.

He lunged the last few steps and plunged the sword through my belly. I gasped, my skin on fire around the wound, and fell into him. He stared at me, a smug grin on his face. I reached up and cupped both his cheeks with my hands.

“Not smart,” I said.

He looked puzzled for half a heartbeat, then paled. “Shifter,” he whispered.

I
pushed
the pain into him.

He cried out and staggered to one knee, but was on his feet seconds later, his pain healed. “It’s the Shifter!” he yelled, and the other soldiers turned.

He charged me as the other soldiers ran closer. I stepped into the charge and slapped both hands against his chest plate.

Whoomp.

Pain flashed, the tingle of blown sand tickling across my skin. The huge Undying screamed and collapsed. The advancing soldiers staggered and fell. The crowd stood frozen a moment, then cheered.

“Run!” I cried. “Get away from here.”

They didn’t listen. Some darted forward and grabbed the fallen swords. They attacked the soldiers, cutting them down as ruthlessly as the soldiers had done to the marshfolk. They turned on the Undying, and the Undying vanished beneath a wave of anger and fear.

Tali!

I ran back to her. No one had come after her yet. Danello appeared beside me. “Nya, we have to go.”

“It’s
Tali
.”

“What?” He looked down, paled. “Oh no.”

“Get her to the boat.” I wasn’t done here. More shouts in the street, and the last of the Undying charged out of the traveler’s house, followed by Betaal and her soldiers.

“Nya, wait!”

I raced toward the Undying. Soldiers yelled, blades cut my skin, but I didn’t stop. They would all pay for what they’d done. Every last Undying.

The soldier from the guardhouse stabbed me in the shoulder. I pivoted and grabbed his wrist,
pushing
the pain into him. He cried out and fell back, just like all the others. Another Undying, another flash echoing in the night, another sting of blown sand. More pain sliced my skin, behind me this time. I dropped, rolling toward the person who cut me. A
push
and he was down.