The Traitor Queen (The Traitor Spy Trilogy #3)(121)

The guide noticed that she’d stopped and made an impatient gesture. Taking a deep breath, Lilia followed him toward a long pier. They skirted around stacks of goods and wharf workers. Ships rocked gently on either side. As the guide started along the pier, she framed a question in her mind.

—Gol! What if he tells me to get on a ship?

There was a pause before Gol answered.

—Rothen says he’s thinking about it.

After they’d passed four ships, the guide stopped before a plank leading up to one of the vessels and pointed to it. She looked up at the vessel. The crew stared back down at her expectantly.

—They look ready to sail. What should I do?

—Get on board. You may only get one chance to save Anyi, Gol replied.

Which was better than no chance. She drew in a deep breath, let it out, then started up the plank. Nobody spoke to her. As soon as she had reached the deck the crew turned away and set to work.

How will Rothen follow? Does the Guild have a ship? Will he be able to use it without having to tell the Higher Magicians what I’m doing?

She moved down the deck, searching the faces. Skellin was not there. Nor Lorandra. Nor Anyi. The crew must be taking her to meet Skellin – but how far away was he? Surely not in another country. It would take weeks to get there.

She imagined what she might feel like if she had been a lone young servant girl surrounded by these tough-looking men. Their expressions were not leering, though, but cold. They avoided her gaze. Nobody paid attention to her except to skirt around her when she got in the way.

Which happened a lot. There wasn’t much room on the deck of a ship. Certainly not on a small vessel designed for transporting goods rather than people. By noting the movements of the crew, she found a place to stand out of their way. From there she watched as the ship drifted away from the pier, out of the Marina and towards the sea.

The deck began to rock under her, and she had to brace herself. Many more ships surrounded them, sailing to or from the mouth of the Tarali River, but as their vessel drew further from land they pulled away from most of the others. All but one, which had its sails furled. The man who was barking out most of the orders – from which she guessed he was the captain – pointed in its direction.

She stared at the tiny figures on the other ship. Details grew clearer as they sailed closer. Among the people on board was a trio standing together at the railing. Soon she could tell that one was male and the other two female. She recognised Anyi first. How could she not? I would know her by her shadow. By her presence. Her heart twisted. I can’t mess this up. She’ll die. Perhaps I should abandon my plan and do whatever Skellin orders. But will he really let her go if I do? Will he keep her and force me to stay and teach him everything I know about magic?

Steeling herself, she looked at the other two people. The vessels were close enough now for her to see that the woman was Lorandra. Which meant the other man was her son.

So this is Skellin. He was tall like a Lans but dark like a Lonmar. But since both peoples are known for their honour and strict moral code, I doubt they’d like the comparison. Still, he’s probably not the best example of his own people. I wonder … It took an outsider, someone willing to break our rules and laws, to show us our weaknesses. What could we have learned about ourselves if the first people to visit us from Igra had been decent and law-abiding?

The ship slowed and turned so that the vessels now floated alongside each other. She could hear activity around her –the anchor lowering and sails furling, she assumed – but she could not take her eyes off the trio on the other ship. They were only twenty or thirty paces from her.

—Rothen says do whatever you have to, to get Anyi away safe, Gol sent.

Lilia nodded, then hoped that if Skellin had noticed her movement he’d taken it as a gesture of recognition. The rogue magician beckoned.

“Come join us, Lilia,” he called.

She looked down at the gap between the ships, then at the crew watching her. They were making no move to direct her to a boat. How was she supposed to transfer to the other vessel?

—Can you levitate? Gol asked.

—Yes, but it will use up some of my magic.

Which was probably Skellin’s intention. Still, levitation over that small distance wouldn’t use up too much magic, if she was quick about it.

Drawing power, she created a small disc of force beneath her feet and lifted herself up and forward. Skellin, Lorandra and Anyi stepped away from the railing to make room for her. Lorandra was holding onto Anyi’s arm. Once her feet were on the deck, Lilia looked up and saw that the woman was holding a knife to Anyi’s throat. Her stomach clenched and a chill ran over her skin. Anyi stood stiffly, braced against the rocking of the deck, and as she looked at Lilia her eyes were full of apology, anger and fear.

“Lady Lilia,” Skellin said. “So glad you accepted my invitation.”

She made herself meet his gaze without flinching. You may think you’re the king of the underworld, she thought. But I am a black magician, defender of the Guild. The pride she felt was surprising and maybe a little inappropriate, but she didn’t care so long as it gave her the confidence to stand up to him.

Unlike his mother, he had no unfamiliar accent. He paused as if waiting for a reply, and when she said nothing he smiled. “Well, you have been up for some hours and early mornings don’t suit all of us. Perhaps we should get to business. I have a proposition for you. A trade. Teach me black magic and I will hand this lovely young woman into your care. I believe you know her?”