The Traitor Queen (The Traitor Spy Trilogy #3)(126)

Not behind Tyvara. He turned to look at the Traitors behind him and his heart turned to ice. Kalia was just a few steps away, slipping into the closest column where a Traitor was distracted, fiddling with his vest. Lorkin gasped out her name, drew magic and threw up a shield behind himself, Savara and Tyvara. It bumped up against another, and he realised Tyvara had already done the same.

“Kalia?” Savara said, her voice full of surprise. She turned to face the woman. Traitors stared in surprise as their leader’s attention shifted from the enemy. Strikes burst against Savara’s shield, but she seemed unconcerned as she faced Kalia. “What are you doing here?”

Kalia looked around at all the faces watching and paled. “I came to help.”

“I gave you an order,” Savara reminded her, an edge of annoyance and forced patience in her voice.

Kalia paused. The battle raged on. The air before Savara vibrated as the attack on her shield increased, the Ashaki hoping her distraction was a sign of weakness. The Traitors stepping up to fight did so without hesitation, while those who retreated did so a touch slower, eyeing Kalia and the queen with interest.

“But you need every—” Kalia began.

“I need you to follow orders.” Savara’s tone and expression were cold now. “How do expect to regain our trust if you will not do what you are told?” She turned away. “Go to the back and stay there.”

As Kalia retreated, Savara leaned toward Lorkin.

“What is she thinking?”

He concentrated. As before, he picked up few words, but disappointment radiated from her. Not the annoyance or anger of a foiled plan, though. Kalia’s sense of failure was laced with fear and shame. Dislike still filled her, but not murderous intent.

“I don’t think she was planning anything,” he said.

Savara nodded. “Shield me.”

“Already am,” he heard Tyvara say quietly. “Someone should go back and keep an eye on her.”

Savara shook her head. “No. It is us she hates. She will not deliberately harm other Traitors.” Her gaze was fixed on the Ashaki. She took a step forward. A moment later the Speakers followed suit. Looking ahead, Lorkin saw some of the Ashaki shuffle backwards. A ripple of excitement went through the Traitors.

Savara chuckled. “Either they’re weakening, losing confidence, or are leading us into a trap.”

“What do we do?” Tyvara asked.

“See which one it is,” the queen answered. “It’s time you made use of your strike stones. If we spot a trap and you suddenly start striking, we’ll warn them that we know what they’re up to. I’d rather leave them guessing whether we’ve noticed it for as long as possible.”

Smiling, she took a longer step forward, and then another.





CHAPTER 28


VICTORY AND DEFEAT


As Skellin’s fingers touched Lilia’s forehead she could not help flinching away. He reached for her again, his eyes boring into hers.

“If I think you’re delaying, or you cause me pain, my mother will cut your friend’s ears and nose off,” he growled.

Heart racing, Lilia lowered her eyes. And once I do, he’ll want more. He’ll threaten to hurt her until I’ve taught him everything. Then he’ll kill us both. I may as well stick with my plan. If I fail, at least we’d get the pain and dying over with sooner. But I will have to be quick. Give him no time to react.

Reaching out, she grabbed his wrists as if to stop him, then let him press his hands to her temples. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, gathered enough power to smash through a strong shield and sent it out from her right palm in a stabbing forcestrike.

She felt the barrier beneath her fingers part under the unexpected and finely focused attack. It worked! Surprised, she started drawing power, relying on the paralysing effect to keep him from struggling or speaking. With his back to Lorandra, hopefully she wouldn’t notice.

His grip on her head loosened as the weakening effect of black magic took hold, but she held his hands in place. Opening her eyes, she sent magic out to stop him sinking to the ground. He stared back at her, his pupils wide with anger and fear.

Yes. Fear me, she thought. This time you’ve underestimated your victim. Too eager to get hold of what you want.

But she must not underestimate him, either. Or his mother. Right now Lorandra was more of a danger than Skellin. She would notice something was wrong eventually, and she still had the knife at Anyi’s throat. Lilia felt a pang of doubt and slowed her drawing of power. She did not know how long it would take to strip away most of it, and she needed to decide what she’d do once she had.

I must protect Anyi before Lorandra realises I’m draining Skellin. She turned her head slightly, so that she could see Anyi, and extended her senses and magic. Somehow she must place a barrier between the knife and Anyi’s skin without either of them noticing. Concentrating on drawing power and using it at the same time was challenging. Kallen should have taught me to do this …

Her magic encountered a resistance.

A barrier! Lorandra’s barrier. It can only be hers. Skellin can’t use his power.

At once she knew she’d made a mistake. Lorandra frowned. She knows I shouldn’t be doing anything with magic. Skellin would stop me. In horror, she watched Lorandra’s eyes widen with realisation, then narrow with fury.