Descendant of the Crane(74)

Someone swung the driftwood. She dodged right. The blow connected anyway, and white fire blazed from Hesina’s temple to neck.

Insults. Jeers. They’d predicted her dodge. Of course they had. They were sooths. Hesina was a descendant of the Eleven. Worse, she’d claimed that they were all going to die unless they followed her. It was no surprise they didn’t trust her.

The laughter died, and they began discussing how they should kill her. Slowly or quickly. Painfully or humiliatingly. Their words should have inflamed Hesina, but her limbs were leaden with defeat. She didn’t fear death any more than she feared life, where every choice of hers determined the life and death of others. And if she was anything like her father, maybe she wouldn’t die at all.

But as one of the sooths lifted a rock, her heart ricocheted against her ribs.

Let it end quickly.

“Go on,” came a sudden voice from behind them. “Kill her.”

The rock wielder froze. So did Hesina’s heart.

Because she knew that voice.

It was Caiyan’s.





TWENTY-TWO





THE PAST IS DESTINED TO REPEAT UNLESS WE LEARN FROM IT.

ONE OF THE ELEVEN ON HISTORIES


READ. NEED I SAY MORE?

TWO OF THE ELEVEN ON HISTORIES

“Who the hell are you?” growled the woman.

“Kill her,” Caiyan repeated, a calculating glint in his eyes as he neared. “Go on. Finish it.”

Hesina’s stomach fell and kept on falling. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Then instinct kicked in. It didn’t matter if Caiyan was giving up on her; she needed to protect him.

“Run!” she screamed. He was no Sanjing. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself if they attacked.

But Caiyan did the opposite of run; he came closer. The edge of his black cloak spilled off the pebbled banks and trailed into the icy current. “Bring the fury of the kingdom to your doorstep, to your husbands and wives and parents. Have your little bonfire now, and sizzle later like moths in a flame.”

Hesina almost wept. Caiyan was here to save her—with sense, of all weapons. Elevens, they were both fools.

“There we go again,” sighed One-Eye. Hesina’s heart filled with dread as he limped up to Caiyan. The sooth was a whole head shorter, but his slight frame crackled with suppressed energy. “Lofty proclamations of doomsday. Grand, just grand. But I believe you were asked a question.”

“I am the viscount.”

“The viscount? Was a viscount not good enough for you?” More guffaws. “Today certainly has been full of surprises. First a queen, now the high and mighty viscount, all so concerned about our well-being.” One-Eye turned and threw his hands wide. “I believe our futures have changed, brethren!”

Earsplitting laughter met his words.

“Yes. I am the viscount,” said Caiyan, ever composed. “But are you even soothsayers? The future is hurtling down these city streets as we speak. Why don’t you look for yourselves?”

More laughter.

“I See,” came a whisper.

The others turned to look at A-Lan. He’d gone very pale. “I See.”

Silence.

“Drop the stone,” Caiyan ordered. “Drop the wood.”

Hesina waited for them to laugh as they had before.

Instead, One-Eye nodded at the others.

Driftwood and stone fell to the ground.

“Now release your queen, and follow her.”



Hesina didn’t pass out from the blow to her head, but she almost did from relief when she saw that Lilian, Sanjing, and Akira had returned safely to the cavern, along with the sooths they’d convinced to come. Rou was helping some settle down with the scanty belongings they’d managed to toss together. Others milled about, examining the torches mounted on the slate walls. Hesina had been awed by the torches, too, when she’d first found this place. They never burned out, never flickered, their flame sustained by something more than the usual sulfur and saltpeter. Now, her hairs rose as she watched them burn. The flames were unnatural, just like her father.

Tamping down the thought—and the bile that rose with it—she conducted a count. Her heart sank. They’d convinced thirty-eight to come. In a city of one hundred thousand, this was likely a small fraction of the sooths.

Lilian joined her. “Many didn’t want to follow.”

Hopefully many had also hidden themselves so well they simply couldn’t be found.

“They’ll need more provisions,” said Sanjing from her left.

“Should I rob some merchants?” came Akira’s voice from behind.

“I forbid it,” Hesina said at the same time Rou said, “I can go. N-not rob merchants,” he stammered when they gawked at him. “A vendor is indebted to me, so I can get us free supplies.”

Rou left, and Lilian, Akira, and Sanjing dispersed to tend to the people. Caiyan came up beside Hesina.

“How is your head?”

“Fine,” she lied, wincing as he examined the knot swelling at her temple.

“It missed the artery.”

“I don’t think I’d be standing if it hadn’t.”

Concern pleated Caiyan’s brow. “Be careful, milady,” he finally said. “Always assess the situation and your audience first. Then tell them the narrative they tell themselves.”