Arcanius (21 page)

Lexi stood close to Tiberius as they watched the old man rummage around. Her hand felt small and a little clammy in Ti’s. He knew she was hurting but he didn’t know if there was anything he could do for her. She needed to rest, but they also needed to get out of the city before they ran into more trouble.

“Here it is,” Ennis said, holding up an ancient-looking leather-bound book. “Come and take a look at this.”

Tiberius and Lexi joined Ennis at his table, where the old man had opened the book to a map. It was not as exacting as the maps in the palace, and the nine cities weren’t listed, but the mountain ranges where the cities were located were. There were also many other cities described on the map. Tiberius saw Devonyr, and his heart began to beat a little faster. It was like finding a clue to an ancient but all-important mystery. If he could find and follow the clues to their conclusion, perhaps he could save Valana after all.

“Here,” Ennis pointed at a small dot on the map. “This is where their settlement was. Just outside this town called Sanna Torrus.”

It was much further south than they had ever traveled and looked to be beyond the vast plains of the Hoskali. Tiberius wondered how long it would take them to get there and if they could even find it. If the town was destroyed, there might not be anything left of the settlement run by the wizards.

“What about the seat of power in the East?” Tiberius asked. “Is that on this map, too?”

“Yes,” Ennis said. “It was Dellinius Capatorious, here.”

The gnarled finger pointed at a dot near the eastern coast. Tiberius guessed it was somewhere between Duringer in the southern mountains and the twin cities of Easton and Weston in the north. It was a long way from Avondale as well.

“I don’t suppose I could take this book,” Tiberius said. “I have a little money.”

“I still have the silver from our last transaction,” Ennis said with a smile. “I have done all I can do and now I think I’ll die. Valana is in good hands. Take the book as my gift to you.”

“You can’t die,” Lexi said softly.

“We all die, my dear. I always hoped that my life would count for something. Now it has, and I can die a happy man.”

“We should go,” Tiberius said to Lexi. “We need to get back to the palace and find Rafe.”

“All right. Thank you so much, Ennis.”

Lexi hugged the old man, who smiled down at her.

“I didn’t know your parents, but I think they would be proud of the woman you’ve become,” he whispered. “Take care of your friend.”

“I will,” she said. “Good bye.”

They left the small house with a sense of melancholy. It was sad to think of Ennis dying. They were young, and their lives seemed to stretch out in front of them with no end in sight, even though they knew Queen Ariel wanted them dead—and Leonosis, too. They had faced grave dangers, yet dying seemed unnatural.

They wound their way back up to Avondale’s main street that ran around the rim of the mountain’s cone-shaped summit. The towering walls were on their right as they headed toward the castle. The sky was dark, and the stars were mere pinpricks in the vast abyss. The moon was below the horizon, and the city seemed quiet and still.

“What are you thinking?” Lexi asked.

“I’m trying to decide what Leonosis will do next,” Tiberius said.

“You think he’ll do more than send war ships to capture or kill us?”

“Yes. I think he’ll do anything to get his hands on the Balestone.”

“Did you find out what the stone is for or what it does?”

“Yes, and it isn’t good,” Tiberius said. “There are two other stones. If Leonosis gets them, then whoever or whatever is controlling the earls can open a bridge to another world. Valana and everyone in the nine cities will be enslaved.”

“It sounds like a nightmare,” Lexi said.

“I’ll tell you the whole story later, but for now, we have to figure out a way to get to the other stones as fast as we can.”

“Why?” Lexi asked. “If the stones can be used to destroy Valana, shouldn’t we keep them as far apart as possible?”

“We could try, but Leonosis will never stop looking for them. He’ll eventually send his war ships below the mists. No one will be safe from him, and there’s no place we can hide. He seems to be drawn to the Balestone somehow.”

“So what are you going to do when we find the stones?” Lexi asked.

“
If
we can find them, then I have to find a way to destroy them.”

Chapter 23

Lexi

There was nothing specific that she could point to, but something wasn’t right. She could feel it. Lexi had a well developed sense for when things around her were out of place. At first she thought it was simply fear of the future or that she missed Dancer. The little wind glider wasn’t comfortable in the city, surrounded by people, and had instead flown away to wait until Lexi needed her. Tiberius was talking about leaving Avondale and going back into the blighted lands to find another stone of power, which was daunting enough, but Lexi also knew they were being chased by a king and would probably be hunted all their lives. Any one of those problems was enough to make her uneasy, but for some reason she couldn’t shake, she knew it was more than that.

As they walked along, Tiberius continued talking, but Lexi was only halfway listening. Her sharp eyes were taking in everything around them. The street was empty; most of the large houses that lined the city’s wide central avenue were dark. Lexi watched for any sign of movement, but there was nothing to see, and still she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Finally she looked up. There was very little light above them, but she could just make out the shadowy forms of the war ships tethered to the watchtower. She thought it was strange that both ships were huddled together over the center of the city. The ships had hung over the city gates the day before, she was sure of that. What she couldn’t remember was if the ships had been tethered to the tall watchtower the night they had snuck into Avondale. Perhaps the ships anchored themselves every night. The war ships wouldn’t be very effective at night anyway. Was it possible that their crews went into the city after sunset?

Then she noticed the two massive shadows over the palace. She couldn’t tell what ships were there, but she was certain two large sky ships were floating above the earl’s palace.

“Tiberius,” she said, stopping in the middle of the street and taking his arm.

“What is it?” he asked, his body tensing as he recognized the fear in her voice.

“Something’s happening at the palace.”

“What? How can you tell?”

“There’s two sky skips anchored above the palace.”

Tiberius strained to see in the darkness. If the moon had been shining, the ships would have been easily visible, but there was very little light in the sky and none coming from the upper level of the palace.

“You can’t go in there,” Lexi said. “Not until we find out what is going on.”

“We have to get Rafe,” Tiberius said. “Then we can leave the city. I wanted to see my father again, but I don’t have to.”

“I’ll find Rafe,” Lexi said. “You stay here.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Tiberius said. “It might not be safe.”

“You may be a great wizard,” Lexi said, “but sneaking into places unseen is my special talent, remember? Besides, no one is looking for me. I’m just your tagalong girl.”

“You’re more than that,” Tiberius said. “You’re much more than that to me.”

“I know. I just meant that I wasn’t banished. Let me go in, look around, and find out what is happening.”

“All right, I’ll wait here. But don’t do anything risky. Just find out what’s happening and come right back.”

“I will, I promise,” Lexi said.

She left Tiberius in a dark alley, where he settled down with his back against the wall. Lexi envied him a little. Her chest ached, and her legs felt heavy. What she really wanted to do was to find a quiet little place to lie down and sleep, but she couldn’t do that now. She missed Dancer—the little wind glider would have seen the ships easily and probably trilled if danger had been close. She hoped she would be able to find the small, furry animal once they left the city.

The palace seemed dark and foreboding, but Lexi knew there was plenty of activity among the servants. Working in the palace was a highly sought-after occupation. There was prestige having access to the earl and city officials. The palace servants had small but comfortable apartments in the most secure building in the city. Food was plentiful, and there were so many servants working together that the palace was its own small community. Lexi had no desire to work in the palace, but she had no problem pretending that she worked there.

It didn’t take her long to slip into the kitchens and find something that needed cleaning. The other servants paid her no attention as they went about their tasks, but she soon heard about Earl Ageus being locked in the dungeons. The palace servants were stunned, but the news was so scandalous that the rumor mill was in full swing. Lexi didn’t wait long to make her move. She knew how to get to the dungeon—she had just been there earlier that day, and it wasn’t far from the servants’ storerooms.

Lexi was as quiet as a shadow as she descended the steps. She moved quickly past the storerooms and made her way to the heavy door that led to the dungeons. There was no lock on the door, and she opened it so slowly that even the rusty hinges didn’t make a sound. She slipped into the dark, spiraling staircase, leaving the door open behind her.

Below she could see light and hear the sound of heavy breathing. She moved down the stairs cautiously, careful not to make a sound, and drew the Wangorian dagger without really thinking about it. Having the weapon in her hand made her feel more secure.

Just above where the stairs opened up into the dungeon’s anteroom, she stopped. She was almost certain that what she could hear was the sound of someone sleeping. The only question was whether the sleeper was alone. Lexi couldn’t be sure.

She proceeded down the steps, keeping her body close to the wall. There were two guards on duty, sitting beside a lantern. One leaned back in his chair, a greasy head propped against the stone wall as he slept. The other man was smaller, with a pointed face and tired eyes. He looked up as Lexi came into view, the dagger hidden behind her back.

“What’s this?” the guard said. “Ain’t no one supposed to be down here.”

“Miss Julanne sent for me,” Lexi lied. The guards were wearing the king’s uniforms, and Lexi doubted that they knew anything about Avondale or the servants who worked there. “She thought you big strong soldier boys might like a little female company.”

“She did, did she?” the pointy-faced man said, his look of suspicion suddenly transforming into a look of hungry desire. “And what type of company do you propose to give us?”

“Anything you like,” Lexi said, trying her best to sound seductive. “Why don’t we let your friend sleep while we have some fun?”

The guard looked as his snoring and drooling companion. The bigger man had hoarded most of the food and nearly all the wine, too. Now he would miss out, while the smaller man took advantage of his good fortune, or so he thought. The pointy-faced man hurried forward, leaving his spear behind. He reminded Lexi of a starving child who had just discovered a cake.

His hands were reaching out for her as he came, his pale cheeks flushing with excitement. Then she lunged forward, swiping the Wangorian dagger across the soldier’s throat. The blade was very sharp, and it sliced through the man’s neck easily. He staggered backward as Lexi circled away from him. He tried to cry for help, but all that came out was a sickening gurgle. He held his hands to his throat, trying desperately to stop the bleeding, but her cut had been deep and opened more than one vein in the man’s neck. Blood was pouring out over his fingers and down the front of his jerkin.

He fell onto his side, his head smacking the stone floor with a hollow thump. The other guard grunted but didn’t wake up. Lexi waited until the pointy-faced man went limp, his dead eyes staring up at the ceiling. She plucked the keys from the man’s belt carefully, making sure the metal didn’t clink together. Then she rushed past the sleeping guard and down the narrow passage that was lined with cells.

The dungeons were dark and cold, but enough light from the guard’s station allowed her to see. She held a finger to her lips when she saw Earl Ageus slumped on the floor. Then she turned and found Rafe. He had seen her come into the corridor and was now standing next to the rusty bars of the cell door.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice barely even a whisper.

“Getting you out,” Lexi said.

She inserted the key into the lock very slowly and turned it. The tumblers still made a metallic clunk as they were pushed into the unlocked position. The door swung open, and Lexi handed Rafe her dagger. The snoring had stopped, and Rafe left the corridor. Lexi heard a loud thump as the sleeping guard fell from his chair. She didn’t see what was happening with Rafe, as she unlocked the earl’s cell, but Rafe was wiping the blood from her dagger as he returned.

“Where’s Tiberius?” Rafe asked, still whispering.

“He’s outside the palace,” Lexi said as she turned to unlock Olyva’s cell.