Page 20 of Witchlight
And now Merik was directly over the people who’d shot at her. Three dark shadows in the night-shrouded city. He dropped straight for them, his fury gathering more power for these raiders who would dare prey on a city filled with Cleaved innocents.
They spied Merik. The two with rifles tried to reload, but their weapons were not Firewitched. It was a slow process—and Merik’s winds were so much faster. He swatted the weapons from their hands. He saw no reason to be cautious. No reason to quell his temper. There was nothing between him and the violence he wanted to unleash against these raiders.
But then three faces came into focus. Young faces almost as haggard and hollowed as the Cleaved—and not much older than Revan.
Noden curse me.Merik yanked in his winds. It was like wrenching the lead on a large dog, and it required sheer force and full-body power to pull, pull,pullthese winds that wanted to attack.
The three people gaped at him in horror. Their rifles had flung too far to grab, and other than a small knife in the hand of a scrawny young woman, they had nothing else to fight with.
She was just a kid, and like the other two with her, she wore Purist gray.They’re not even raiders, Merik realized, and the last of his winds deflated in an unquenched sigh that sent air roiling off his body.
Dead leaves rattled. Gray homespun flapped on the three teens’ hungry frames.
“You need food,” Merik said. He tried Cartorran, since most Purists seemed to be from that empire—and his guess was a good one.
“Witch,” the boy spat while the girl with the knife simply squeezed her hilt tighter.
The third teen, meanwhile, eyed Merik with a thoughtful look that reminded him very much of the way Ryber would gaze out at the world. With a wisdom that came from having seen too much.
“You got food, then?” she asked, and at once, the other teens looked to her. A subtle movement that showed right away she was their leader.
“No,” Merik admitted to her. “But I can get you some. You have to put down that knife first, though.” He addressed this to the other girl. Then to the boy: “And no more shooting at my storm hound.”
“Yourstorm hound?” the leader asked. She seemed impressed by this, instead of horrified, and it occurred to Merik that although shedressedlike a Purist, she didn’t seem to possess the prejudices of one.
“Well, Aurora ismystorm hound in so much as any storm hound can belong to someone.” He dipped his head toward the other girl. “Now about that knife…”
The leader nodded at her, and the girl finally lowered her blade.
“Sheathe it, please.” Merik motioned to the leather case at her belt.
Her lips wrinkled back to reveal a chipped tooth. “No.”
“You can’t expect us tototallytrust you,” the leader said. She shrugged with her hands, a smooth movement from a girl who seemed used to getting her way. And in that moment, Merik felt the slightest tug inside his chest. A little nudge that said,Oh, she’s reasonable. Do as she says.
Merik did not do as she said. Instead, he felt himself smile. She was a Wordwitch, and he’d wager she had no idea. Or maybe shedidknow and it was why she was not so viciously spiteful toward Merik as her companions were. After all, a Purist with a witchery was a Purist with a death wish.
“Knife gets sheathed,” Merik countered, “or you don’t come with me for food.”
“Come on,” the boy urged. “Just do it, Ulga.” He was practically salivating.
“I don’t listen to you, Birdy.” Ulga glared. Then turned to the leader. “Sky? What do you think?”
The leader, Sky, laughed, and it was a surprisingly buoyant sound. One that said,Ah, he won’t fall for my tricks then, will he?“It’s fine,” Sky declared. “Sheathe the knife, Ulga, and let’s see where this fellow might lead.”
TEN
As Vivia read the letter from the Empress of Cartorra, she forgot entirely that she stood in a magically lit stairwell in the middle of a crumbling, ice-filled mountain.
For Queen Vivia Nihar: I write to you to offer my assistance in reclaiming your throne from your father.
In return, I ask only that you send your current forces east to aid me. You will see a map below with the best route north via sea and river to Poznin, and your recently acquired Dalmotti cannons would be of great assistance against the Raider King.
The rest of the letter was a detailed description of how the Cartorran Empress would use Vivia’s Foxes in direct battle, followed by how Safiya would in turn help Vivia reclaim her throne.
It was absolutely mind-boggling, and it took all of Vivia’s mental power to simply remain upright with the letter held toward the light. The Empress seemed to fare no better.
“By the waters of the Fire Well,” Vaness swore several paces away. Then, with an almost breathy laugh, she told Vivia, “According to this letter, Safiya already has an agreement with General Fashayid to return my throne to me. No fighting or armies are necessary.”
