Windwitch (The Witchlands #2)v(97)

She obeyed.

Aeduan ran.

*

Safi had every intention of following the Hell-Bards and the Cartorran navy. After all, leaving the arena was undoubtedly the next logical step.

It would seem, however, that the gods had something else in mind. For as Safi raced after Vaness and the Hell-Bards, she caught sight of someone familiar.

Just a glimpse in the corner of her eye, and not instantly recognizable. She merely saw the man’s square jaw, and the faintest recognition tickled at the base of her skull.

It wasn’t until she reached the tunnel beyond that the words ’Matsi-lovin’ smut ran down Safi’s spine.

Nubrevnans.

Not just Nubrevnans, but sailors from the Jana. From Merik’s old crew.

Safi slung back on her heel midstride. In ten bounding steps and with water kicking high, she reached the man’s cell.

Somehow, the slaves roared louder now. They clanged at the bars and sloshed water. Free us, free us, free us.

“You!” Safi yelled in Nubrevnan. She advanced on the square-jawed man, who made no move. Offered no reaction. “How did you get here?” When he didn’t answer, she thrust close to the bars. “How did you get here?”

Still, the man held his tongue. His companions, however, did not. A bare-chested boy with braids scurried near. “We’re part of the Foxes, lady. Out of Lovats.”

It meant nothing to Safi. “You are not part of Prince Merik’s crew?”

“No,” said another sailor. An officer, Safi guessed, from his navy coat and the witch-collar strapped to his neck. “We work for Princess Vivia. Our mission is to gather food and seeds and livestock—anything we can take back to our people.”

“Nubrevna has turned to piracy?” called Vaness.

Safi flinched. She hadn’t noticed the empress approaching. Hadn’t seen her sidle close through the dim torchlight and water’s splash.

“Hye,” the officer told Vaness. “But we failed, for our ship was taken by the Baedyeds two days ago. And the crew—we were sold here to the arena.”

“It’s worse than that,” the boy cut in, yelling over the building madness. “They took our ship and filled it with seafire. It’s on its way back to Lovats right now, ready to kill everyone!”

Safi’s jaw sagged, and even the Iron Empress swayed back a step.

“Help us,” the officer begged, looking first to Safi, then to Vaness. “Please. Just free our Voicewitch. She can send a warning to the capital—that’s all we ask.”

“Please.” The boy’s braids shook. “The pirates killed our prince, and now they’ll kill our families.” As he spoke, his words humming with truth, a new figure shoved through the ranks.

A woman with a collar. The Voicewitch.

Yet Safi hardly noticed. The pirates killed our prince. So explosive in all its simple utterance.

“Prince Merik,” Safi repeated, “is dead?” When the boy didn’t hear her, she slung in closer, shouting, “Prince Merik is dead?”

He reared back, before nodding. “The Jana exploded. Seafire.”

Vaness turned to Safi. “Like my ship,” Vaness said, though no surprise crossed her face. As if she’d already known. The message on the warship. It must have told Vaness of Merik’s death.

Safi didn’t confront Vaness, though—not now. There was no point. Instead, she groped for her Threadstone.

Merik Nihar was dead.

I have a feeling I’ll never see you again. Those had been Safi’s last words to him. Thrice-damn her, though—she hadn’t meant them. She’d just expressed what had been roiling in her gut after their lips had touched. It wasn’t meant to come true. Merik Nihar could not actually be dead.

A click shivered through the air. The collar fell from the Voicewitch’s neck, and instantly, the woman staggered back. Her eyes turned pink as she tapped into the Voicewitch Threads. Her lips began to move.

The slaves nearby rioted all the louder.

“Why,” Safi shouted at the officer, “do the Baedyeds attack Lovats?” Yet either the man could not hear her, or he did not know, for he shrugged. A helplessness hung in his eyes.

“They attack to weaken us.” The answer rumbled out from the square-jawed man. “The Baedyeds and Red Sails march over the Contested Lands as we speak, and Ragnor’s raider armies gather in the Sirmayans. Once Lovats is flooded and dead, there will be nothing to stop them from claiming all of Nubrevna.”

“How do you know this?” Vaness demanded.

“I heard the men who captured us.”

“I heard it too.” The boy clutched at the bars. “They’ll kill everyone we love, destroy our home. Just like that.” He shook the bars for emphasis.

And as he shook, the bars melted wide. Wide enough for him to step through.

He gasped, recoiling. Then all eyes shot to Vaness, even Safi’s, but the Ironwitch gave no reaction beyond an imperious command. “Warn your people,” she said. “And stop the Raider King.” Then she turned to go.

“Wait!” Safi called. “You must free them all!”

Vaness pretended not to hear; the roars doubled.

“Please!” Safi lunged after her. “Both pirate factions are anchored for Baile’s Slaughter, Empress! They won’t set sail until tomorrow—we could leave this place in shambles.”