Page 7 of Poisoned Kingdom
‘The life I left behind wasn’t something I wanted to brag about . . . Wait, how did you get here?’ I asked, watching him reveal a shiny and very sturdy-looking set of lockpicks. ‘It’s no use; I broke mine on this damn lock. Whoever made it was a bloody genius.’
‘Pfft, I’d be insulted if you weren’t right. You’re lucky that “genius” is happy to help. Now let’s see what I can do.’ He grinned, releasing my hand before carefully snaking his tools into the lock. ‘Oh, by the way, while I was sitting in the tavern wondering how to get you out, I learned that your friend bribed the guards to look the other way. Most of them are patrolling the other side of the mine right now.’
The speed at which Tova had the lock clicking open was amazing. ‘You mad tinkerer. I will sing your praises till my last breath!’ He looked at me in triumph before I lunged forward and hugged him.
I wasn’t tall; Tova was only a head shorter, but kneeling on the ground, I was the perfect height to lay my head on his chest as he awkwardly patted me on the back.
‘It was only a few hours. I didn’t realise it would frighten you that much,’ he whispered in my ear. ‘Come on, we need to get you out before your other rescuers arrive.’
‘Thank you. Go, now! I’ll find my own way out. It’s too dangerous to be around me right now.’
Jagon was ready to use Lily to force my compliance. If he knew about Tova, he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt another friend.
‘Dangerous, my arse. Besides, you couldn’t find your way through the mines even if I chiselled a map on your arm. Stop fussing, and let’s go.’
He was right. The route we took meandered like a drunken miner, each corridor darker than the next. I knew Tova waschoosing paths no one used to avoid capture, but as I had no idea where we were, I had to rely on him to lead the way.
It took far too long, but eventually, I felt a chill breeze on my cheek and saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel.
‘We’re almost there. It won’t be easy, but it’s the only way out of the city,’ Tova said.
The warning in his voice gave me pause. ‘I can manage,’ I said, regretting my words as soon as we exited the tunnel to stand on a narrow shelf high above the forest floor.
I could see the entire valley of Wiosna stretched out before me—a patchwork of lush forest and scattered fields cradling a handful of human settlements. It was a peculiar kingdom, with one great city hidden beneath the earth and a vast wilderness above, dotted with nameless outposts. It begun with the dwarves, who had carved out a trading town at the mouth of an ore-rich mountain. But as the money started flowing, the other races had come to share the wealth, creating the prosperous kingdom.
‘We just need to head for the river, then walk downstream until we reach the Kingdom of Dagome. Unless you have a different idea,’ Tova said, placing a hand on the small of my back.
‘You can’t go, at least not now. The man who betrayed my secret to Mlot . . . if we get caught together, he’ll use you to force my hand.’
‘Do you think I can be so easily used?’ Tova asked softly, but he didn’t know Jagon as well as I did.
‘Yes, that’s what Jagon does. He breaks people, uses them and discards them as he pleases. I can’t let him hurt you because he wants to control me. You need to stay and live as if I were your enemy. Tell everyone how that bitch deceived you, curse my name in every language you know, and stay safe.’
Tova placed his hands on his hips, challenging me. ‘What the fuck’s happening, Sana? And don’t lie to me. Since my parents died, you’re the only family I have left. If you want me to let you go alone, you’d best give me a bloody good reason.’
‘When I left Truso all those years ago, I abandoned those I loved, hoping my absence would keep them safe. Now that Jagon knows where I am, they are once again in danger. However, returning to Truso will . . . well, it’s complicated, but I’m not welcome there, and my return will cause a few ripples. Give me a month, then come to The House of Lillies. They’ll know where I am. Before you leave, see if anyone knows why Jagon’s here. That bastard has to be involved in the illegal srebrec trade. Given his abilities, I wouldn’t bet against him feeding Mlot’s paranoia.’
‘Fuck! Fine, but you’re taking this.’ I looked at the coin pouch in his hand and shook my head. ‘Once you get to a village, buy yourself a comfortable journey.’
‘I can’t take your money . . .’
‘Yes, you can. I’ll sell your possessions and tell everyone you owe me. I won’t lose out. Come on, take it.’
This time, Tova let me embrace him, patting me gently on the back when my breath shuddered with unshed tears. ‘I’ll see you in a month, drah’sa. I swear it. With Svarog’s1 blessing, we’ll drain all the ale in Truso and bash some heads together soon. Don’t cry, sweetheart. I promise I’ll be safe and come with news.’ Just then, the sound of raised voices echoed down the corridor. ‘Dam it, they shouldn’t have discovered the empty cell this soon.’
‘Fuck, it’s Jagon’s goons. How do I get down?’ I asked.
He pulled a dainty rope ladder from behind a rock, attaching it to a worryingly worn ring next to the cliff’s edge as I tried to mentally prepare myself to climb down it.
‘Come on now, Sana, you can do it, you can fucking do it,’ I muttered, grasping the first rung with shaking hands.
‘Of course you can fucking do it. You are the only person in the world who can drink this dwarf under the table—a ladder is nothing compared to that,’ Tova said as I threw my leg over the edge of a huge vertical drop that ended in rubble at the bottom of the mountain. ‘Good luck, drah’sa, and . . . see you soon.’
I kept my gaze on his face, slowly climbing down as the wind lashed the ladder against the granite wall. I prayed to every single god I could remember for the safety of my tinkerer, for the strength to keep going, and for the time to warn my friends about Jagon’s plans.
I had to stop him. The only way he could control the Brotherhood and break the covenant was by removing two people close to my heart. Boyan, the current grand master, was like a father to me, and Irsha, my Blade, had saved me so many times we’d stopped counting.
I was still swinging above the forest floor when I ran out of rope. With a heavy sigh, I pondered my options before releasing my grip on the ladder. It wasn’t far from the ground, but the impact took my breath away as I tumbled down, my dress ripping on the sharp rocks until I rolled to a stop. Everything in me shook as I descended the steep mountain, clinging to every nook and cranny, feeling more like a mountain goat than a person.
