Arcanius (29 page)

"It might be better to find Tiberius first," Olyva said, looking down at the floor.

"I wish we could, but we have no idea where he is," Lexi said. "I think our best bet is to find Rafe and hope that he can tell us where Tiberius might be."

"And if he can't?" Olyva asked.

"Then we have to get Rafe out of the palace and find someplace safe for the two of you to hide. I'll come back for Tiberius by myself, after nightfall."

"You sound so brave," Olyva said. "I couldn't imagine doing this by myself."

"It isn't bravery," Lexi said. "It's necessity. I'll do what I have to do, and so will you. Let's go.”

They moved quickly up the stairs, expecting to be accosted by furious guards at any moment. They were trespassing in the earl’s private quarters after all, but the small vestibule on the third floor of the palace was empty. The sweeping staircase abandoned.

“It can’t be this easy,” Lexi said.

“Maybe they didn’t think Rafe needed a guard,” Olyva said. “If Tiberius and Rafe were captured and the earl was thrown into stocks, his army surrendered, what other threats are there to worry about?”

“Us,” Lexi said as she tried to see up the grand staircase.

“Maybe they don’t even know about us,” Olyva said.

“We can’t count on that,” Lexi said. “We have to be prepared for the worst case scenario.”

“And what would that be?” Olyva said.

“A troop of guards waiting on the roof,” Lexi said. “Once we go up, they could send men up the stairs, which would block our only route of escape.”

“Couldn’t you crawl down the side of the palace?” Olvya asked.

“Probably, but I wouldn’t risk that with you. And I’m sure Rafe isn’t up to it.”

“Well,” Olyva said. “We don’t really have a choice. We’re here, and Rafe needs our help.”

“I know it,” Lexi said. “But I still don’t like it.”

She pulled out her Wangorian dagger. The weapon was small, the razor-sharp blade curved slightly. It was heavy for a small weapon, but the weight felt good in Lexi’s hand. It felt strong, not delicate like the daggers made in Avondale.

“I wish you had a spear,” Lexi said.

“Me too,” Olyva agreed.

They moved up the grand staircase slowly. Lexi was listening hard, but there was no sound of trouble. The door that led onto the roof was open, and outside Lexi could see the brilliant blue sky. It was hard to imagine her life going so wrong on such a beautiful day. She had to force herself not to think about Tiberius. He was somewhere in the palace, probably badly wounded or beaten, perhaps even dead.

Finally they caught sight of the guards. There were two of them; both men were sitting on the palace roof playing a game of dice. They obviously had no fear of being taken by surprise, and Lexi hoped that would be enough of an edge that she and Olyva could overtake them.

“They aren’t holding their weapons,” Olyva whispered.

“There might be more that we can’t see,” Lexi said. “We better move quickly. I’ll take the one on the right, you go for their weapons.”

“Thank you,” Olyva said.

“For what?”

“For everything, but mostly for risking your life for Rafe.”

“He would do it for me,” Lexi said. “Besides, sticking together is our only chance of surviving now. Let’s go.”

Lexi edged to the doorway, peering around to see if she could see any other troops, but the rooftop was mostly deserted. She nodded to Olyva and then sprinted forward. The run from the doorway to the two soldiers only took three seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. Her back prickled with fear, and she felt as if a spear or sword would stab into her from behind at any second.

When she reached the soldier, she jumped forward, swinging the dagger toward the side of his neck. The blade punched through the soft flesh, and he staggered forward, holding the wound and gagging on his own blood. The soldiers were from the king’s army, men trained for war, and yet the second soldier just stood frozen in fear, watching his companion die. Lexi didn’t wait for the man to come to senses; instead, she lunged forward, thrusting her dagger toward the man’s stomach.

At the last instant, the soldier finally reacted, trying to leap backward away from Lexi’s attack. But he wasn’t fast enough, and the curved blade punched into his stomach. It wasn’t a killing blow; his retreat had given him enough space from Lexi that the blade only gouged into his abdomen a few centimeters, but behind him, Olvya had snatched up the man’s spear, which was propped against one of the stone pillars the sky ships were moored to. She turned the weapon toward the man, who backpedaled directly onto the spear’s blade.

His back arched, and he screamed in pain. Olyva shoved the weapon forward, and it punched through his body; the spear tip was red with gore as it stuck out of his stomach. He slumped to the ground, and Olyva let him fall. Lexi was turning around the roof, expecting more enemies to converge on them, but everything was quiet. The roof was empty.

“I don’t see anyone,” Olyva said.

“Me either,” Lexi agreed. “But someone must have heard that soldier scream. It won’t be long until reinforcements show up.”

“Let’s get Rafe.”

They hurried to where the ropes holding Rafe to the roof of the palace were pulled taut. They leaned over the parapet and saw Rafe hanging several feet below them. They tried to pull him up, but with the block of stone hanging from his hands, he was too heavy.

“What are we going to do?” Olyva asked.

“There’s only one thing we can do,” Lexi said. “I’ll climb down and cut the block of stone loose.”

“That’s insane,” Olyva said. “You could fall.”

“I can handle it,” Lexi said, already throwing one leg over the edge of the wall. “Wait until I get back up to start pulling him up.”

Lexi didn’t wait for Olyva to argue or come up with another plan. She wiped the curved blade of her dagger on the skirt of her dress, then put the back of the blade into her mouth. After kicking off her boots, she started her descent, keeping one hand on the rope that held Rafe to the rooftop and letting her other hand and feet find the crevices between the stones. The masonry of the palace was expertly done, but years of rain and snow had pitted the stone slightly, leaving just enough room for Lexi’s thin fingers and toes to find purchase.

She released the rope once she got to Rafe’s boots. She didn’t want to pull on his body or add any weight to him if she didn’t have to. The further down she climbed, the more nervous she became. She didn’t fear falling, but she wasn’t sure what she would do if Rafe was dead. She knew she would somehow have to get Olyva out of the city and help her friend go on without Rafe. She refused to think about Tiberius. She knew the chances of finding him alive were dropping lower and lower with every passing moment. The only way they could have defeated Tiberius was to injure or kill him. If he was conscious, he could work magic, even bound hand and foot.

She shook the thought of Tiberius from her mind and concentrated instead on her climb. She knew that if she lost focus, she could die. One slip would mean death, and not just for her. If Lexi fell, there would be no hope for Rafe or Olyva, either.

“Fancy … meeting you … here,” Rafe said in a weak voice.

Lexi turned, feeling relieved and revolted at the same time. Rafe’s face was dark red and extremely puffy. There was dried blood from cuts and dark circles from bruising.

“You’re alive,” Lexi said. “We weren’t sure.”

“Wish I … was dead,” Rafe said.

“What? Why?” Lexi asked as she began to saw on the rope holding the stone to Rafe’s wrists with her dagger.

He grunted in pain as the vibrations traveled up his arms and into his body. He was having trouble breathing, and Lexi knew they needed to get him on the rooftop as soon as possible.

“Tiberius,” Rafe said.

“We’ll find him,” Lexi assured Rafe, but the promise felt hollow.

“I think … I may have … killed him,” Rafe managed to say.

Lexi’s blood ran cold, and she felt a wave of nausea roll through her stomach. She could taste bile at the back of her throat, and her hands felt numb, but she focused all her attention on the rope.

“Don’t talk,” Lexi said. “I’ve almost got this rope cut—then we can pull you up.”

He didn’t talk, but she saw tears leaking from his swollen eyes. Her own chest felt tight, and it was hard to breathe, but she kept working. She knew she couldn’t stop now. Even though she had no idea what Rafe was talking about, she felt a sudden anger toward him, but she also knew that even if Tiberius was dead, he would want her to save Rafe.

“The rope’s almost cut through,” Lexi said. “When the block falls, it will relieve the pressure, but it might hurt. As soon as I get back up the wall, we’ll pull you up. Just hang in there.”

“Hanging … is all I can … do,” he said, trying to grin, but hanging upside down, the grin looked like a frown to Lexi.

She sawed on the last few fibers of the rope, and then the stone block dropped. Lexi didn’t bother looking down. She could hear the block scraping against the side of the palace before finally landing with a crash onto the paved street below. It was a miracle if someone wasn’t hurt by the shards of rock that must have gone flying in every direction, but she couldn’t worry about that.

She scaled the wall quickly, ignoring Rafe’s groans of pain. As soon as she pulled herself over the parapet, Olyva started pulling on the rope.

“He’s alive,” Lexi said. “And conscious.”

She helped heave Rafe’s limp body up to the edge of the roof. Olyva was almost frantic, but Lexi was patient. She leaned over and grabbed a handful of Rafe’s wool trousers. They pulled hard and got him up onto the edge of the roof, where they rolled him over the stone railing. They were all on the smooth stone tiles that made up the roof of the earl’s palace, Lexi and Olyva trying to catch their breath, Rafe moaning in pain, when a group of six guards appeared.

They were the earl’s personal guard, and each man was armed with a spear, a sword, and a small shield that was painted crimson with gold edging. The men turned and saw Lexi, Olyva, and Rafe, huddled on the ground, next to the edge of the roof. Lexi still had her dagger drawn, and Olyva picked up the spear that she had taken from the dead soldier Lexi had killed.

“They’re out here,” one of the guards shouted back into the place, then they walked slowly toward the group.

Lexi stood up slowly, resisting the urge to flee. She knew she could run away, climb down the palace walls, and escape into the city, but she refused to leave her friends. Besides, she thought to herself, if Tiberius was dead, she didn’t want to go on living.

Then, to her surprise and utter relief, Tiberius hurried out onto the roof. He sprinted toward her, and she ran to him. He dashed past the guards, who merely grinned at him and watched as he caught up Lexi in his arms and spun her around.

“You’re alive,” she said, laughing and crying at the same time.

“Yes,” he said. “Alive and well. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she assured him.

Her hand ran down his back, and she felt the hard lump of the Balestone that was lodged under his skin. He saw the question in her eyes but shook his head.

“It’s okay, I’ll explain soon,” he told her. “Right now, I have to help Rafe.”

“He said he thought he killed you,” Lexi said, taking Tiberius’ hand as they walked toward Olyva and Rafe.

“He stabbed me, but he was under Brutas’ influence and the Balestone,” Tiberius said. “But Brutas isn’t a problem anymore.”

“And the Balestone?” Lexi asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“I have it,” Tiberius said, a dark look flashing in his eyes.

“Are you still going to destroy it?” Lexi asked.

“I don’t know,” Tiberius said, no longer looking Lexi in the eye. Then he whispered so that only she could hear him. “I don’t know if I can.”

Chapter 33

Tiberius

He left his father just inside the Great Hall. Earl Ageus quickly took charge of the soldiers gathered in the huge room. Tiberius hurried upstairs to help Rafe. A half-dozen of the earl’s personal guard were already on their way up, and they had no issues with the sudden change of loyalty. Tiberius guessed that once the Balestone turned on Brutas, the enchantment he had over the soldiers broke, so only the few remaining soldiers of the king’s army who had come to Avondale with Brutas were still loyal to him.

When Tiberius saw Lexi on the roof, he was so relieved. It made him happy to see that Lexi and Olyva had gone to Rafe’s aid. He might haver preferred for them to stay away from the palace and out of danger, but he also felt a swelling sense of pride. The members of the earl’s guard were loitering near the two dead soldiers that had obviously just been slain, and Tiberius knew that Lexi and Olyva had killed the soldiers to save Rafe. Not only that—they had pulled him up and gotten him safely on the rooftop.

Tiberius hurried to his friend’s side. Rafe’s eyes were glassy with pain. He couldn’t sit up, and every breath hurt him. The blood was finally flowing into his legs again, and Tiberius knew they must be aching.