Their mother spoke up.
‘Little sparrow, you’ve grown so much. You seem like a different, much stronger girl, but do you not want to wait for your father? He can handle this, you don’t. I don’t want you going back out there. The runners will surely have found him by now, he can’t be more than a week or two away.
Syline shook her head.
‘I’m sorry, Mother, but it’s now or never. You probably have a week left without the antidote, but the poison she gave Anatoly was much faster acting. I don’t think I even have time to visit him, I need to go tonight.’
‘Are you sure about this, Syline? You’ll be risking your life… I can’t lose you, not again,’ their mother said, wishing she didn’t have to send her daughters off to fight her battle.
‘We can’t trust the guard. We can’t trust anyone. I can’t turn this into the authorities until I stop her, and whatever she is, I doubt a normal watchman could handle her, anyway. We’re the only ones who can do this.’
‘I’m… I’m so proud of you.’ Her mother had begun to sob, relief pouring from her, warring with fear for what was to come. ‘You’ve suffered so much and only come out stronger. I’m so, so sorry all of this happened to you.’
Syline leaned down to kiss her mother’s cheek, holding her tight.
‘It’s okay mother. It’ll all be okay. I’m finishing this tonight, no matter what. I love you.’
‘I love you too, Syline. Please come back safe, both of you. You need to come back safe. You’re both so much more important to me than I am.’
‘I won’t let anyone lay a finger on her, Mother,’ Kat promised. ‘I love you too.’
She gave her a small embrace and a kiss on the cheek as well before leaving the room with Syline.
‘What did you mean, “as if I’ve never killed people before”?’ Syline asked her sister as they headed for the stairs, where they could hear Amberly retelling the tale to Alexis and, chances are, both her sisters over again.
‘There’ve been people who’ve wanted our family silenced in the past, after all we are practically the right hands of the king: assassins after mother, poison in our drinks. When you were a babe, too young to remember, you were kidnapped. Mother went on a rampage and no one dared anything so brazen for a long time. But as Mother’s gotten older, I’ve taken over removing these dissidents. We thought you’d been kidnapped again. I’ve been stalking the streets every night looking for sign of you.’
Syline looked at her sister in silent shock, mouth agape. Kat chuckled softly and patted Syline’s head.
‘Don’t worry yourself over it, but I’m plenty ready for this. Mother’s right, though; you seem much more confident now. You know, rather than go straight there, there is someone else we could get for help.’
‘Who?’
‘Ioann Voronyakogtya, a sorcerer in Father’s forces. He’s been fighting as hard as we have to look for you, I swear the man never sleeps. I think he’ll be over the moon to see you home.’ A grin was smeared across Kat’s features and Syline flushed red.
‘Ioann came looking for me? O-okay, le-let’s get him.’
‘Good. He’s much more handsome than that hellblooded anyway. Much better for my little –’
‘Shut up, or I’ll go without you!’ Syline squawked. Kat laughed, giving Syline a squeeze around the shoulders as the pair descended the stairs.
‘Come on, you two,’ Syline said to Amberly and Thelonious as they met back up. ‘We have one more stop to make yet. Kat’s coming with us.’
‘Will she be okay?’ Amberly asked, giving Kat an appraising look.
‘She’s a better swordsman than any of us,’ Syline said, Kat, grinning behind her at that. Syline shared one last embrace with Alexis, Kassandra and Magdova before heading out with the trio. Magdova, most of all, struggled to let her go as Kat looked Amberly over.
‘I see you’re carrying Syline’s sword. Hopefully you swing it a bit better than her or else I’ll be dragging all of you through this.’
Amberly grinned. ‘Ooh, I like you.’
Chapter 17
They left the manor, the four of them. Corax nestled comfortably in Magdova’s arms behind them, far from danger. He wouldn’t be coming tonight: Syline had no wish to risk her little raven, no matter how much he protested, and she could feel his displeasure through their link even now. To fill in for him, Malir came out of the pocket of her robes and was tucked into her scarf, a reassuring pressure against her neck. Kat had given her a teasing look, but she brushed it off. With her big sister beside her now, Syline moved through the city with far more confidence. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in Amberly and Thelonious’ ability to protect her or her own ability to evade the watch. It was just that Kat was her big sister, her protector. The person she always knew she’d never be able to surpass.
In the past, she was afraid of many of these streets. Anything off the path she knew, anything even broaching into the winding alleys, markets, and thoroughfares, Syline would have avoided like the plague without someone with her. She feared beggars, brigands and worse. Snow fell heavily over their shoulders as they strode through the winding back routes around bonfires and between ramshackle merchant stalls. She had her sister beside her. That filled her with confidence, but even if she weren’t there, Syline felt like she could have strode through the darkened, snow-filled streets without fear.
Kat led the way, heading for the barracks of their father’s men here in the city. As the oldest of his children – tied only with her twin brother, Ulrik – Kat had a fair bit of presence amongst the men, especially since they knew full well, she had all her mother’s fire and her father’s discipline. There weren’t many who’d want to risk a fight with the proud daughter. As they walked, the pair talked. Kat told Syline of what had gone on in her absence, and Syline told Kat in greater detail of moments in her travels, filling in the story as Kat asked for more.
Their talk was of no real interest to Amberly, who lagged behind even Thelonious. Her eyes and ears kept being pulled away by something else: that bird, the beautiful red, songbird. She’d seen it again, watching her through the window of the Petranski manor. Then, once more, she spotted it flying across the road as they stepped from one alley to the next. Now she could see it yet again, resting on the gutters of a tall building, singing its beautiful song, birdsong far more beautiful, far more musical, than anything a simple animal had a right to know. It was watching her. She looked up at it as they passed underneath and, on a whim, did her best to whistle the tune back to it. The bird’s chest feathers puffed up, and it gleefully returned the song before disappearing over the rooftops. For a split second, Amberly swore she felt someone’s eyes on the back of her neck, and a warm breath touched her cheek. She turned. No one.
‘That’s a nice tune, where’d you hear it?’ asked Thelonious over his shoulder, feeling a bit left out with the two sisters bantering away up ahead. Now, Amberly was almost certain: Thelonious hadn’t seen or heard the bird. The bird that had no place being here.
Amberly hurried to get up beside him, feeling a little unnerved.
‘You didn’t see it?’ she asked.
‘See what?’
‘There’s a…. I keep seeing this little red songbird, it’s following us. It’s following me. I think it’s been following me ever since Laes and I were in that cell.’
Thelonious furrowed his brow. He looked at Amberly, then up to the buildings around them. ‘Can’t say I’ve seen it.’
Amberly looked behind them once more. A red feather sat on the snow. She tucked it into her pocket and ran after her comrades.
Thelonious and Amberly were left to watch outside for anyone who looked a little too intent on the barracks. It was just Kat and Syline who went inside together.
