Page 43 of Siege of Stone (Sister of Darkness: The Nicci Chronicles 3)

Adessa grimaced in disgust as she found herself covered with serpent blood as well as insect bites, mud, and sweat. Standing over the dead hulk of the snake, she used her dagger to skin off the scaly hide. Snake meat, even raw, was nourishment.

As she chewed on the moist reptilian flesh, Adessa withdrew into her makeshift shelter again, resting, pondering. She still felt the blood magic from the unborn infant within her, enhancing her senses and powers, and she knew that boost would last until she tracked down and killed Maxim.

But she had to sustain herself. She made sure she drank enough water, ate enough food, to keep her body strong. Over the years, she had given the same admonishment to all trainees in the combat arena. Adessa had never thought of the fighters as slaves, but as her pets, and pets needed to be disciplined.

Now, in the dark buzzing swamp, she recalled the champions she had made and the lovers she had rewarded over the years. When she was finished with them, those men were completely loyal to her, wrapped around her finger even when she sent them into the combat arena to die. Many had been kidnapped from outside villages, taken when they were young and broken, sold by Norukai raiders, or born of other slaves inside the city.

Ian, her last champion, her last lover, had been a devoted young man who never disappointed her, always defended her, until the end, when that outsider Bannon had made him remember his past. Though Bannon seemed a weak and naive young man, he created hair-fine cracks in Ian’s armor of duty and eventually turned her champion against her.

Adessa still didn’t understand what she had done wrong. She had taken Ian into her bed and had shown him true passion, primal lovemaking like the rutting of wild animals. His pleasure had been so great he nearly fell unconscious after satisfying himself. Adessa had even let herself grow fond of him, sometimes holding his sweaty body against hers after he was sated and after she, too, had let herself release that inner thunder of pleasure. She’d let him plant his child in her, and Adessa had felt it growing, the energy of the unborn part of her.

If not for the uprising, she would have given birth to Ian’s baby, but Ian had betrayed her, and so she killed him. Instead, that child growing within her had proven to be a powerful resource, an innocent life. In addition to the protective runes that covered her skin, Adessa now had that blood magic, the life magic of the unborn child, a sacrifice as potent as any slave on the great pyramid. As a woman she had given life, and as a morazeth she took it back.

Now, as the hours of the night crawled along, she sat against the mossy bark of the tree, sensed the emptiness in her womb and compared it to the fresh strength throughout her muscles.

She waited several hours for the moon to rise, and under the silvery light, she emerged and sprinted off again in pursuit of her quarry.

CHAPTER 31

Sitting inside her dark dungeon cell, Sovrena Thora wished she could become a statue again and let time slide past until this nonsense was over. Since her hardened body had no need to eat or drink, the guards had stopped bothering to deliver her meals.

The dank cell remained silent, a stillness so deep that when she concentrated Thora could hear the delicate movement of spider legs. She once heard a rat skitter across the floor until it found a hole somewhere and escaped. No vermin had any interest in her partially petrified body.

After hearing the rat, she ignited a small flame in her hand and spent hours inspecting her chamber, touching each stone block from floor to ceiling. Eventually she discovered a small chink in the stone that made a crack just wide enough for a skinny rat. It wouldn’t help her escape at all.

It maddened her most that she had no idea what was happening in Ildakar. What foolishness were the dithering duma members undertaking, what irreparable damage? By now Nicci and Nathan had likely taken over the duma, named themselves sovrena and wizard commander, even though they didn’t belong in Ildakar. Thora had spent centuries building her perfect city and the interloper Nicci had been here for what? A month?

The city Thora loved so much was disintegrating while she was trapped in here. She didn’t know whether it was day or night outside.

After an interminable time, she heard movement in the corridor, saw bright light seeping through the small barred opening. The diversion piqued her interest, and she crept to the door, listening to footsteps. She assumed it was the rude guards again, street rabble who had no business wearing the city uniform.

The footsteps sounded slower than a normal gait, like a warrior weighed down with armor. Since she was the only prisoner in these dungeons, and since the protective runes around the door kept her from attacking with magic, Thora wondered why anyone would need such protection against her.

A person approached the door, and she heard the rattle of a heavy key in the lock. The crossbar slid aside and the hinges creaked. The door opened, allowing more light to stream in from the corridor. Facing her visitor, Thora was astonished to see the sorceress Lani, the woman who had challenged her and lost, who had spent centuries as a statue to serve as a warning for other would-be challengers.

Now, the two rivals stared at each other. Thora could feel hatred emanating from her. “I came to speak with you, Thora,” Lani finally said, refusing to use her lost title. “Much needs to be said.”

Thora wasn’t impressed. “You came to gloat.”

“Not everyone is like you.” Lani remained at the door, and Thora made no move toward her. Although Thora was a greater sorceress than the other woman would ever be, Lani was not weak. Nevertheless, the spell runes would stifle any attack Thora might release.

Lani continued, “I remember Ildakar from before, and I see the city now. Back then, I challenged you because I saw the damage you were doing. I’m appalled at how much worse you’ve made it. Thank the spirits we can begin rebuilding now, with you and Maxim out of the way.”

“I preserved Ildakar! I love Ildakar,” Thora sneered. “You were always weak, just a follower, calling your birds, playing with water and scrying magic.” She sniffed. “I learned from you. I kept cages of larks as my own pretty pets, and with your scrying spells I was able to spy on the unrest in my city.”

“It’s no longer your city,” Lani said.

“That may be true now, but the people know what I did for them. Soon enough they’ll realize that Ildakar will fall without me.”

The other woman suddenly changed the subject. “What did you do to Renn?” Quiet, intelligent Lani had contented herself with the weak wizard, not the best choice for a partner, although Renn had indeed been more handsome back then.

Now Thora realized what had really brought the woman here. “He’s gone on a fool’s errand, and I doubt we’ll ever see him again. I wouldn’t expect him to succeed.”

“I know you sent him to find Cliffwall,” Lani replied, “but what did you do to him in the intervening centuries? You hurt him, didn’t you? He was such a wise man, full of ideas, a scholar, a historian. He and I would spend hours together studying ancient spell books to hone our gifts.”

“Yes, I remember how sweet it was,” Thora scoffed. “When you two went to bed together, did you tuck ancient books under your pillows for added romance?”

Lani looked annoyed. “Just because we refused to take part in your pleasure parties doesn’t mean we didn’t experience our own love. You dispatched my poor Renn into the wild without preparation. How could he survive such a journey?”

“That depends entirely on his own abilities,” Thora said.

“In that case, I have confidence in him. And when Renn does come back and rejoin us, the duma will be even stronger. We’ll rebuild Ildakar together and make this city into a perfect society for all, not just for your selfish pleasure.”

Thora found herself offended by the lies. “There was nothing selfish about my rule of Ildakar. Everything I did as sovrena was to make the city great. The people will realize that in time. I’ll wait.” The flickering flame in her palm suddenly flared brighter. “The only reason you’re outside that door instead o

f me is because of an accident. Three other duma members betrayed me, and my husband betrayed all of us. You had no hand in this victory.”

Lani responded with a small smile. “A victory by accident is still a victory, and you’re still in the dungeon where you can do no further harm.”

Her smug words enraged Thora. She bunched her stony muscles, gritted her teeth, and felt power building within her, but she knew she couldn’t release her gift. “I want to save my city, and you’ll soon see that you need my help. The people will appreciate me.”

“They appreciate their freedom more,” said Lani. “We voted in new duma members, not just Oron and Olgya, but also a representative of the freed slaves who can speak for the lower classes. There will be merchant duma members to help determine Ildakar’s future. Together, we are one united population with a common enemy, General Utros. Someday all those people you hurt might be willing to forgive you, but not now.”

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