The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2)(90)
“No.” I forced myself to finish the rune, and the guards froze, their eyes blank.
“Are you sure?” His voice was low. “You’re right. Not after—it’s not fair to ask you to do this.”
“It boils down to necessity, I guess.” At my silent command, the men began to move. Just to be sure we were unwatched, I explored the surroundings carefully with my mind and found no spies. “And you’re right. You’re different from those guards.”
Kalen looked at me, moved to speak, then thought better of it.
I goaded the soldiers into a nearby inn, made them pay for rooms, and soon they were fast asleep on their beds. Before we returned, I would coax them into waking, with none of them the wiser.
Santiang was a city both strange and familiar. I could see the same influences in their architecture that defined the homes and temples of Ankyo, from their arched slopes to their slanting roofs. But while Ankyons had a preference for bungalows and residences no more than two or three landings high, Santiang houses were tower spires that reached as high into the sky as they dared, with different families occupying every floor. The roads were narrower than Odalia’s, save for the one leading from the palace out to the city gates.
Khalad walked like he knew the way, pausing every now and then to get his bearings. “I can sense Master’s workshop,” he explained. “The memories and half-finished heartsglass there burn as bright as a beacon.”
The people of Santiang were noisier than their Kion counterparts. Tiny stalls crowded every conceivable corner, selling dried fish and pickled vegetables next to fishing rods and rat repellent. The people spoke with loud, raucous voices whether they were arguing, bargaining, or telling jokes.
Children played on the street with paper balls and spinning tops, running to one side and giggling when heavy wagons came creaking past. Teashop owners and tavern proprietors—in many instances one and the same—wheeled out tables and chairs along sections of road to accommodate more customers. Everyone we passed wore plain robes of muted colors, and it was difficult to distinguish the successful merchant with a flourishing business from the average bricklayer.
Khalad led us through busy intersections where long lines of carts and horses were at a standstill, through roads so full of people and merchandise it was a wonder we could pass, and finally to smaller alleys that stank of beer and vomit, as the crowds thinned out and the voices faded, until we were standing before a small shack, not unlike the Heartforger’s hut in Kion.
Abandoned lots lined either side of it, and an open canal overflowing with rotten fish and garbage appeared to be the reason why.
“We traveled half a continent only to reach the same place again,” Likh said, staring.
I reached for Fox without thinking, then remembered he wasn’t with us. I sought him out with my mind instead and saw him at the courtyard with the princess. There was a marked improvement to Princess Inessa’s swordsmanship, and I wondered how many other sessions they had finished.
We found the forger’s hut, I whispered.
Another hut?
That was Likh’s reaction too.
Sounds promising. Be careful. Out of the corner of Fox’s eye, I spotted the emperor striding toward them, his face livid.
You better get out of my head, Tea. This isn’t going to be pretty.
But—
You’ve got more important things to do. Scram.
“Tea?” Likh waved a hand in front of my face. “Are you with us? Tea?”
“Um…I think the emperor isn’t happy about Fox and Inessa spending so much time together.”
“Why?”
“That’s a conversation for later.” Kalen took a step toward the shanty. Despite the city wards, I could feel waves upon waves of powerful energy, almost as strong as a seeking stone’s pull, emanating from the small, innocent-looking hovel. “Wait.” Khalad blocked his path. “Something’s wrong. Master’s not this careless. This is too much concentrated magic. It’s…overwhelming.”
“Stay back, Khalad.” Kalen approached the shack slowly, runes already half-formed. He pushed open the rotting wooden door with one foot. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here in a while.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickled. “Guys?”
“The Heartforger isn’t here, that’s for sure,” Likh said, peeking in.
“Guys?” I had little knowledge of how sewage systems worked, but surely canals didn’t froth and bubble like that. Surely still water didn’t swirl that way…
“I’ll go first,” Khalad said. “He might have left something behind.”
“Let’s not be hasty,” Kalen said. “Your master isn’t in the habit of laying traps for unwanted visitors by any chance?”
“No, he’s not—”
“Guys!” I drew out my sword. The canal behind us went goop, and something rose from that putrid pool. The stink alone was nearly enough to make me faint, but what staggered out was the stuff of nightmares. It was an emaciated figure, a cross between flesh and skeleton. Tattered strips were all that was left of its clothing, and stringy black hair puffed out around its empty skull. It was small, easily a child or a young woman, but there was nothing human about its face.
More monstrosities crawled out of the canal, decomposing corpses of either human or animal remains or a revolting hybrid of both. The dogs no longer howled, but their teeth were sharp and yellow in their cadaverous mouths. They sprang forward faster than their human counterparts.