Page 76 of Queen Demon
That was intriguing, if it was anywhere close to the truth. “Which clan?”
Nightjar shrugged. “She also said she had been held prisoner by Hierarchs and killed them to escape.”
Kai said, “That part’s a lie.” There were only so many Hierarchs and the alliance had been sending a lot of vanguarders back and forth to make sure they knew where they all were, as far as it was possible. “Did she say she learned how to use that… persuasive voice from them?”
Nightjar frowned at the dustwitches who were almost dragging their feet like children as they loaded their packs on the riding beasts. She seemed reluctant, and Kai thought she didn’t want to sayI don’t knowagain. Finally she admitted, “She said it came from having a strong will.”
Maybe a strong will had something to do with it. But Kai bet at least one of the Doyen’s Saredi mothers had been a demon. It would explain a lot, if that was where the Doyen’s strength had come from. It might mean Kai could learn to use that persuasive voice too. It wasn’t something demons would be taught, since imposing your will on Witches or mortals or other demons was against Grandmother’s treaty. But Kai could see how useful it would be for interrogating expositors and Hierarchs’ servants.
The dustwitches weren’t accustomed to being treated well either.
The Arike had the same practice as the Saredi, of issuing supplies of dried meat and fruit, flatbread, and other easily portablefood, so everyone could eat quickly at rest stops. He found a dustwitch called Sunrose packing the food supplies onto Nightjar’s spare riding animal. He told her, “No, divide this up. Make sure everyone has theirs with them before we go.”
“The Doyen kept the food separate,” Sunrose said, startled. Nightjar stood nearby, eyeing them but not objecting.
“She’s dead now, so she doesn’t get a say,” Kai told her, making sure Nightjar and the others around heard him. “And no one here is a child, you can all manage your own portions.”
At dusk, when they were almost ready to move out, the lookout signaled that someone was approaching. Kai walked down the path to see it was two figures on Arike horses. He huffed in annoyance. Amabel was supposed to come back with Kai’s horse and ride with them for the first day or so. Their affinity for fast travel meant they could carry messages back and forth between Kai’s group and the army as it advanced. The light was too dim and they were still too far away to recognize, but if the second person was one of his cadre returning… It was exactly the sort of thing Cerala might do…
Nightjar joined him, and stiffened abruptly. Then she threw Kai a look of forced amusement. “So you thought you needed help? Or perhaps you were lonely?”
Kai made a noncommittal noise. His ability to see night almost as clear as day had been left behind with Enna so he had no idea who was coming, which made Nightjar’s jabs stingless. From the relative heights, the second person wasn’t Ziede or Tahren. The figures approached cautiously, and he moved down the path and waved. As they urged their horses into a trot, he realized that it was Cimeri with Amabel.
As they drew near, Amabel said, “Prince-heir Bashasa sent Cimeri, Fourth Prince.” They smiled and added, “Salatel said to tell you immediately before you got angry.”
“Good,” Kai said as Amabel dismounted. At least one Witchhere would be on his side. He didn’t want to admit that it made something in his chest less tight, to have that support.
As Cimeri swung off her horse, Nightjar said, “So you return to us after all.”
Cimeri regarded her with a faintly challenging smile, and said, “Not you.” Nightjar’s expression was enigmatic and Kai didn’t have to glance around to know most of the dustwitches, no matter what they were occupied with, were watching. This was why Witches didn’t like hierarchies, even the way the Saredi did it, with all the members having a say as to who led them and when. Among mortals, shifting power balances could mean turmoil and violence. Among Witches, with all the varied ways they could draw power from the world, it would be far worse. Kai signed to Cimeri,You volunteered?
Cimeri signed an assent. She said aloud, “Raihar stays behind. With children.”
Still trying to prod her, Nightjar said, “You fear for your precious children among the Arike mortals?”
Cimeri smiled at her again and flicked a series of signs in Witchspeak that Kai hadn’t seen before.Something something stop your mouth.
Nightjar took it with an ironic tilt of her head. Kai said, “No fighting,” and flicked the Witchspeak sign foryet.
With a nod, Cimeri said, “Fourth Prince,” and signed,Ziede says watch your back.
Watch my friend, too,Kai signed, with a head tilt toward Amabel.They are a sibling to me.
As one to me,Cimeri signed.
Nightjar, still pretending she found all this amusing, said to Kai, “When do I meet this great mortal leader of yours? Or are you afraid I’ll supplant you?”
Cimeri huffed a laugh and then clapped a hand over her mouth. Amabel pretended to be busy settling the horses. Kai just said,“You’ll meet him when we take the fort. But I don’t think he’ll like you very much.”
They rode through most of the night, with Amabel scouting ahead. At dawn, they stopped in the shade of a cluster of trees along a gully to eat and rest.
Most had put off their veils, with only other Witches and Kai around them. The group as a whole still radiated tension. Kai felt it was probably time to talk to them, and after they finished tending the animals and eating, he reluctantly called them together.
Their expressions were mostly curious and a little wary, though a few still seemed confused or mulish. Kai said, “How many of you have killed expositors?”
There was a little stir, but no one responded. Cimeri, seated on the dry grass near where Kai stood, looked over the group with a dubious expression.
Kai fought the urge to sigh. “Or demons?”
