War of storms, p.9
War of Storms, page 9
“Will this be enough?” Natani asks as we place the last wardstone.
“I made them from the katsujo, so they’ll last for a while, but against the entire Itagamin army?” I shake my head. “We’ll have a few extra hours once they get here.”
“Good luck to all of us, then,” Miari says as she closes the final hole in the wall’s stonework and leaves, heading off to join the search for a tunnel out of the city.
We’ll need luck, but the wardstones are powerful. Once I connect the last wardstone to the first, completing the circle, the whole wall seems to vibrate with energy. Pulses of desosa travel through the lines of power connecting one link to the other, binding them together more tightly with each circuit. If I had enough time and desosa to draw from—like the vast katsujo vein I used to create these wardstones—I might be able to turn every stone in the wall into an anchor for my shield and build Jushoyen a truly impenetrable protection. I don’t have either, so I do what I can with Natani’s and Tessen’s help. Eyes closed, I rely on Natani to keep me balanced and on course and trust Tessen to watch over us and for the first signs of the incoming army.
The crackling, lightning-streaked air is overfull of desosa, the kind my training masters always warned us not to use—it’s dangerously unstable and could burn a mage from the inside out if they weren’t careful. Necessity has taught me how to use it, but Natani’s skill as a zoikyo makes it seem easy. For a while, anyway. Repeatedly, we walk the wall and strengthen the links between the crystals, sinking power he feeds me into the ring. Before the susuji, I would’ve collapsed from exhaustion after laying half the wardstones. Now, I have to be careful not to overwork Natani, because I could go nonstop for hours.
“It’s good none of the Ryogans can sense desosa. We’d never be able to explain what you’re doing if they could feel this. Honestly, I’m surprised they can’t.” Tessen shudders. “How many more times do you need to circle, Khya?”
“As many as possible.” We’re halfway through the third circuit. “Once we finish this loop, I need updates from the others, and we have to—”
Tessen stops short, and I barely keep from slamming into his back.
“What?” I scan the land beyond the wall for anything that could cause the distress I feel in Tessen. There’s nothing, no hint of danger I can see.
He steps toward the wall’s outer ledge, and the tyatsu posted there move out of the way. “I thought I saw movement in the trees.”
“In the trees?” I keep my voice quiet and stop pouring energy into the wall, gathering it into a ward around the three of us instead. If the first wave of Varan’s army is out there, I am not leaving us exposed, no matter how suspicious it might make the tyatsu to see rain curving around our bodies instead of falling on them.
He nods, attention fixed on the forest. “It’s just flashes, but the color is close to nyska cloth. It works as camouflage in the desert but doesn’t blend with anything here.”
“How many?” I ask.
“There’s… No. Of all the rot-ridden—” His murmurs sound like he’s counting. “There’s at least twenty, and that’s just what I can spot from here. Not even I can see through things.”
“Disappointing, Tessen,” Natani mutters absently. “I actually believed those rumors.”
I can’t see what Tessen spotted no matter how hard I try, but I trust his senses. Unfortunately, that means Varan’s advance guard is here. The army won’t be far behind.
Crossing the width of the wall and leaning over the opposite ledge, I look down into the city. Every building is ablaze with light, creating a bowl filled with a beautiful golden glow between flashes of lightning. It illuminates the movement in the streets. From what I can see, the evacuation is moving smoothly, the flood of people flowing steadily north. My chest clenches. There are so many people still trapped inside Jushoyen, and soon I’ll have to hold the wall against the incoming force, which means Varan must push through me to get what he wants.
I wish I could see the city drenched in sunlight instead of rain and walk the streets on a day when I don’t have to fight through panicked crowds, but Varan will demolish the city exactly like he did to Rido’iti. By tomorrow, all of this will probably be gone.
I take a deep breath and find my garakyu. With just a few words, colors fill the once-clear glass globe. A second passes. Two. Then Yonishi’s face fills the sphere.
“You’d better have a way to speed up evacuations,” I say. “We’ve just run out of time.”
He flinches. “I’ll spread the word. What do you need us to do?”
“Tessen needs a better line of sight. Get him to the top floor of the Kaisubeh Tower. Or the roof, if it’s safe.” There’s a long pause, and then Yonishi’s face settles into determined lines. He nods, promises to meet Tessen in the tower’s gardens, and ends the connection. The garakyu becomes a clear globe of glass again.
Tessen’s eyes narrow at me while I put it away. “And what will you be doing?”
“Making sure the wall stands as long as possible.” I’ve warded someone twenty or fifty feet away from me, and I’ve pushed a ward until it encompassed an entire ship, but I’m not sure I could reach across the miles between the Kaisubeh Tower and the wall. It isn’t a risk worth taking. If I’m directly over one of the crystals, and I have Natani to boost my power, I have a much better chance of holding my shield against the army. For a while.
Tessen’s gray eyes are shadowed. “I don’t like scattering ourselves so much.”
“You think I want to be here with them?” I jerk my chin toward the tyatsu who are watching us with growing unease. It’s hard to forget the squads of men dressed exactly like this who have chased us across Ryogo for moons. It’s harder to forget a tyatsu killed Tyrroh.
Tessen only looks more worried. I sigh and ease closer to him, lowering my voice. “I’ll be fine. We just need to be ready to run when time is up.”
His expression turns incredulous. “Run where?”
“That depends on Gentoni and Yonishi keeping their promise of a ship.” I’ve already been delayed too long. I’ve got to get to Yorri and free him before Varan finds a way to stop me.
Then Tessen turns to leave. I’m the one who ordered him to go, but seeing it happening fills me with a shiver of terror. I’ll be fine, but what if this is it, our last moment together?
I grab his hand. He glances back, frowning. I’m being ridiculous, but I can’t make my grip loosen. My mind scrambles for something to say, something other than “don’t leave.” He has to leave just like I have to stay.
“I just… Once you get there, ask Yonishi for a garakyu and try to reach Ryzo. He might be able to tell us exactly where the main army is and how much time we have left.” I grip him tighter and press a kiss to his cheek. “And be careful. Please.”
“I’m not the one on the front lines, Khya.” He brushes his cheek against mine. “I’ll never forgive you if you let yourself get caught, oh deadly one.”
“Then I’d better be ready when Varan gets here.” Another kiss, this time against his cold lips, then I can finally relax my hold on him. “Go. And tell Ryzo to cause some trouble on my behalf.”
“Now that is an order he’ll like obeying,” Tessen says wryly. Then the quirk to his mouth falls flat. He brushes his thumb along the back of my hand. “I’ll see you soon.”
Not soon enough, I think as I watch him go.
Tessen jogs back to the stairs and descends. Once he’s gone, all Natani and I can do is wait. I could walk the wall again, but this is where Tessen spotted the nyshin, so I should stay here until he directs me somewhere else. We’re stuck, and we can’t talk to the tyatsu. We have each other, but I don’t want to discuss what’s coming, and I can’t think of anything else to say.
“What do you miss most about Shiara?” The question pops out before I know I’m going to ask.
“The sun,” Natani says immediately. “Or being dry. Or the food.” He stops, considering, his straight brows furrowed. “All those, but I miss the sun the most.”
I smile. “I’m starting to think it’s something I dreamed up. I used to wish for shade, but now I think I’d give up a lot if I could stand in sunlight for an hour. I mean, do you remember—”
Yonishi appears at the top of the stairs, and my mouth snaps shut. His bright white robes are glaringly out of place here, but he walks with calm confidence. The guards part to let him pass, each murmuring “Kaibo’Ma-po” and bowing their heads respectfully. I’m surprised when he stops to talk to each. Only when he gets closer can I hear what he’s warning the tyatsu: “Tusenkei Khya and Tusenkei Natani are going to be working magic, and they are not to be disturbed. Protect them by whatever means become necessary.”
Pleased at being called a mage and not an evil mage by a Ryogan for once, I smile.
He continues his slow progress, leaving a lot of tyatsu behind him who can’t seem to keep from staring at Natani and me. Yonishi’s posture and pace don’t change, but when he’s left facing us, his expression turns hesitant. “What else can I do to help?”
Nothing, I almost tell him. But then I remember the spells he blasted at us this morning.
“You can do magic.” The words come slowly as ideas form. “Put your skills to use, and pull in any other mages, too. Find a way to speed up the evacuation and protect the evacuees.”
“I’m not sure if…” He hesitates, looking toward the Kaisubeh Tower.
“I know most Ryogans fear magic, but you can’t hold back today.” I step closer, challenging him. “If you don’t use every resource you have, you’ll have to live the rest of your life thinking about what you could’ve done here but didn’t.”
Yonishi stares at me, eyebrows high. “How old are you?”
That…is not the response I expected. “Um, it’s the fourth moon cycle of the year, right?” When Yonishi nods, so do I. “Then I turned eighteen three moons ago.”
“I can’t imagine any Ryogan eighteen-year-old being in your position and succeeding,” he admits.
“Then you’ve been meeting the wrong people, Yonishi.” I think of Ahta, the ebet child who survived with eir mother in the inhospitable Mysora Mountains for years, and I think of Soanashalo’a, who isn’t Ryogan but who grew up here, isn’t much older than me, and serves as the voice of her people. “I’ve only been here for a few moons and I can name two.”
He drops his gaze, a flush of color spreading across his beige cheeks, but the embarrassment is quickly replaced by resolve. “I’m already coordinating with every mage in the city, but I’ll reach out through the garakyu network and ask others to protect the refugees once they’re away from Jushoyen.”
“That will help.” Depending on what exactly the mages can do. “Also, if you have any weapons like those stone-tipped arrows, use them. And don’t forget the other part of our deal.”
He only looks confused for a second. “The ship? Our usual lines of communication are unreliable right now, and we’re trying, but—”
“No. Well, yes, we’ll need the ship soon, but I meant Osshi.” I glance toward the palace. “Everything’s happening fast. Don’t leave him in whatever hole you threw him in.”
Panic flashes in his eyes. I’m pretty sure he did forget.
“D-do you want me to have the guards bring him here?” he asks.
“What he does once he’s free is his own choice.” I may understand why Osshi felt he had to betray us, but I can’t forgive his abandonment or forget the ambush he helped lead us into. “He’ll probably want to make sure his family is safe. Unless they’re under lock and key, too?”
“They are, but not here.” Yonishi bites his thin lip and won’t meet my eyes. “They’re in a city to the south.”
“I hope for their sake it wasn’t in Varan’s path,” Natani mutters in Itagamin.
I agree, but there isn’t anything we can do about that now, so I keep my thoughts silent. Yonishi leaves soon after, disappearing into the staircase. Then, exhaling slowly and trying to clear my mind, I move to the closest wardstone and stop with Natani by my side. We’re blocking the center of the busy pathway, and more than one person shoots us an annoyed look when we refuse to step aside. Thankfully, Yonishi’s orders keep the tyatsu from disturbing us.
I need to focus, so I wrap myself in the spell-warmed cloak and sit down where we are despite the obstruction it causes. Sitting makes it easier to block everything around me out and concentrate solely on the power beneath me, the energy Natani channels into me, and the crackling desosa swirling around us.
An hour later, someone wearing kaiboshi robes approaches holding a large box. “Excuse me, Tusenkei Khya, Tusenkei Natani, but Tusenkei Tessen asked me to bring you this.”
Curious, I open it and smile. Tessen’s taking care of me even from more than two miles away; he sent food for two—grains, fish, greens, and two flasks. I can go without, but Natani can’t, and this is more than enough to allow us to save some for later, which is a very good thing. I don’t think we’ll be leaving this spot for a long time.
Chapter Eight
I lose track of time as I pour desosa into Jushoyen’s wall faster than Natani can pass it to me, and faster even than the susuji can refill my own well of power. I’m stiff, aching, and tired when something vibrates against my hip. It takes several confused seconds for me to realize it’s my garakyu. Someone is trying to reach me. I nearly fumble the sphere when I take it out of my belt pouch, but I manage to keep my grip. When I activate it, the swirl of color inside quickly settles into Tessen’s face.
“Incoming. Two and a half miles out. Southeast and…” His head turns, and the lines around his eyes etch deeper. “It’s multi-prong. Mostly spread between the south and east. More farther west. Probably others.”
“Have you reported it to the tyatsu commander?” Even as I ask, a ripple of tension travels along the wall as new orders are relayed, and I know his answer.
“Yes.” He looks at me through the garakyu, fear in his eyes. “Contact in less than a minute, Khya.”
I glance at Natani, and when he nods, we go back to work. Energy swirls around us, all of it pouring into the veritable river of desosa now flowing through the wall. The stream of power seems to travel through the ring of wardstones faster with each new drop of desosa we add. At the start, we were building a foundation, letting Jushoyen’s wall adapt to power it’s never felt before, and then I reinforced the wall itself, pushing my ward as deep as I could make it go, but I haven’t activated the wardstones themselves. Until now.
The wardstone underneath me is a bonfire coming to life. It sends a spark through the ward ring that sets the desosa in the wall ablaze. My ward forms in a spiral, spinning higher and lower simultaneously. No one can see it, not even me, but I imagine this is what sitting inside a tornado must be like. Then the shield begins to close. The spiral curves inward until it becomes a dome protecting everything inside Jushoyen’s walls. Not even raindrops make it past me.
“Bellows, Khya, what did you do?” Tessen laughs, the sound breathless and shocked. “They definitely felt it, too. They stopped.”
I don’t answer. I can’t. Too much of my focus is on my wards. This is more than I’ve ever tried to do before. I’m protecting tens of thousands in a city spanning miles, and the drain of this task is only getting worse. I doubt I’d be able to keep myself upright without Natani to counterbalance me.
Time slides through my fingers, and I can’t even seem to keep count of my own breaths or heartbeats to mark its passage. There’s too much else to distract me. I feel lives inside the ward like moving sparks of energy. They look like bright stars against the black inside of my eyelids, each blazing bright and flashing in and out of existence so fast they’re impossible to track. At the edge of the city, they slam against my ward, each one an impact and a burn. I flinch and resist, but it’s like hundreds of fists are pounding on the inside of my skull.
“You did too well, fykina.” A voice in my ear. Hands on my shoulders. “People need a route out of the city, but you sealed us in. Can you open a path without collapsing this bubble?”
I can’t answer.
“Khya!” The world is shaking and screaming. I try to tell it to stop but— “Khya!”
My head is still filled with sparks, and I can’t remember how to move my tongue.
“No, I can’t get her to listen to—” Natani protests. “Well, then you try!”
“Khya, focus.” A new voice, farther away, but deeply familiar. Tessen. He pulls my attention like the first voice couldn’t. “People are throwing themselves against the ward trying to get out. Find Miari’s wardstones, and create a hole where you find her. There’s a tunnel. She’s guiding people through. Do you understand, Khya?”
I try to nod. I must succeed, because there’s a sigh of relief. Then Tessen clears his throat. “Good. But brace the wall, Khya. They’re closing in fast. Keep her safe, Natani.”
Natani’s laugh is a little frenetic. “I’ll try. How is everyone else faring?”
“Sanii just left,” Tessen says absently. “Ey’s determined to find a way to slash Varan’s throat with an Imaku shard, but I don’t think there’s— Bellows. Is that Ono? He looks—”
“How far, Tessen?” Natani tightens his hold on me.
“Less than two miles,” he says. “They’re moving slow. Trying to figure out how to get past the ward, I think.”
“Can they?” Natani asks.
“Eventually.” I can barely form the word, but Tessen hears.
He huffs and says, “Hopefully not soon,” so he must’ve understood.
“Tell them,” I murmur, trying to gesture to the tyatsu. “Tell them. Coming soon.”
Swallowing, Natani switches to Ryogan and calls out to the tyatsu. They don’t even seem to blink at his accent. Instantly, those closest shout the warning down the line.
“Oh, blood and rot.” This time, Natani’s voice tremors. “Khya, brace!”
Twenty bolts of lightning strike the ward. They’re like white-hot daggers driving into my arm. I scream. Shouts rise around me. Orders. Questions. It blurs into a senseless cacophony. The next barrage of strikes hits the same spots, like they’re aiming to shatter my wards by weakening one point. I dive deeper into my mind to protect myself from the pain and the pressure. I lose sense of anything beyond the desosa channeling through me into the wall and the bruising grip Natani has on me. Until the impacts change. And spread.
