The Bone Shard Daughter (The Drowning Empire, #1)(79)

The night air breathed down the back of my neck, bringing with it a few small drops of rain. Of course Uphilia couldn’t live someplace easy to reach. Foxes liked snug little dens, and ravens could fly. I clung to the tiles of the palace roof, slippery with rain. My engraving tool was in my sash pocket along with an extra two shards of bone from the bone shard storeroom. I’d have to be careful what commands I added to Uphilia, lest I upset the balance of existing commands, but this would give me more room to work with than I’d had with Mauga. And I knew Father cared more about trade than bureaucracy. I had the suspicion she’d be a more sophisticated construct than Mauga.

I stepped across the curved roof, going slowly, doing my best to keep my footing. The rain and wind threatened to topple me from the tiles. The palace was several stories high; I’d break more than just a rib if I fell. My foot slipped a little. My heart jumped into my throat. I windmilled my arms, trying to keep my balance.

I didn’t want to die like this.

My hands broke my tumble, and I slid only a little way down the roof. My palms were raw, and from the fiery feeling, I guessed one of my fingernails bled. I hated Uphilia and her stupid lair. She nested near the peak of the roof in a hollow my father had made for her just beneath the gable. It would be foolish of me to try walking again. So I crept across the roof on my hands and knees, cursing the rain that fell faster and ran into my eyes.

The edge of the roof came into view. I made my way to the edge, lowered myself to my stomach and peered over.

Loose straw peeked out of a hole carved into the wall below the gable. I caught the glimpse of black feathers, the white-tipped end of a red tail. Uphilia had returned to her roost. By how still she sat, she was likely sleeping. Even so, how could I sneak up on a winged fox? I’d never be as quick as she was, I couldn’t fly and getting into her lair would be difficult enough. I needed to find a way to do so quickly and block her escape at the same time. I could lower myself from the edge of the roof but the tiles were slippery, and I’d need to drop into her lair right away.

There was a decorative piece at the gable, curling iron nailed to the beams. I edged to the peak of the roof and probed it with my hands. It was nailed securely to the beams, and there was a horizontal piece I could fit both my hands around. It wouldn’t be easy, but if I lay on my back, put my hands around this piece and kicked off of the roof – I could get enough momentum to swing around and into Uphilia’s lair.

I wasn’t an acrobat but I was short and light. However, the piece still might not hold my weight. I didn’t see much choice though.

The cloud juniper berries were still in my sash pocket. I took one and popped it into my mouth. It tasted musty and sharp, a slight bit of juice escaping between my teeth. Ignoring the taste, I chewed and swallowed it. I wasn’t a cloudtree monk, but I knew the stories. No one had ever assailed a monastery – not even my father – and succeeded.

It took only a few beats of my heart before I felt the effects. My heartbeat quickened, strength flowing into my arms and to the tips of my fingers. If I’d been in my rooms, I would have tested my strength on something benign. But I didn’t have the luxury. The rain on the roof tiles soaked through the back of my shirt. Above me, clouds obscured the moon, a dim halo shining through them. When I looked at it, I could see the raindrops falling just before they hit my eyes. It was a dizzying, disorienting feeling.

I reached around the edge of the roof, flailing, searching for the horizontal metal bar. I had to walk my fingers down to it, but I found it.

It was this or being disowned. It was this or disappointing my father. It was this or perhaps even ending up like Bayan, my flesh melting from my bones. The memory machine. Had my father taken my memories? Or was it something he was building to try to give them back? Is that what had happened with Bayan? Had it malfunctioned? How long until he tried the machine on me? Later. I could think about it later. I tamped down the horror and pushed myself into an upside-down bridge.

Taking a deep breath, I shoved off of the roof and felt the world tilt.

The iron of the gable piece was slippery in my fingers. It creaked as my full weight fell upon it. I was facing the ground when one side tore from the beams. Everything seemed to move more slowly, each beat of my heart feeling like it might be my last. I swung my legs to my chest and saw the opening of Uphilia’s lair before me.

I might not make it. But with a burst of enhanced strength, I kicked my legs out hard. I let go.

For a moment, there was only me and the air and the whites of Uphilia’s eyes. She woke to find me hurtling toward her in the dark, in a place she thought no one but she could reach.

I tumbled into her soft body, my arms outstretched, and caught her. She snapped at me, and her teeth sank into the soft flesh of my side just below my ribs. Even though I knew by now that my father’s highest constructs would still attack me, the pain of it surprised me. I tried twice to get my hands inside her body, and only succeeded in tangling my fingers in her fur. She shook her head, her teeth still nestled into my side. Warm blood soaked into my shirt. My whole side burned.

If I didn’t get myself together, if I didn’t end this, I would fail.

I was Lin. I was the Emperor’s daughter. I would not fail. The words burned in me, molten iron forged into a blade. A deep breath in, and then I tried once more, moving my hand slowly, with purpose.

Uphilia’s body gave beneath my touch. She froze as I searched inside her for the bone shards, her teeth still embedded in my skin. I found the shards stacked one on top of the other, and it felt like there were more than there were even in Mauga. At the top of the chain, I pulled a shard free. I had to wiggle it like a loose tooth before it disengaged.