“We will make do,” Lila agreed.
Perspiration sparkled on Emmett’s forehead as he looked from side to side. He hunched his shoulders as he hobbled along a corridor, leaving the mayhem of the kitchens. “Come with me! We won’t have much time.”
They took a side corridor, then worked their way down a narrow set of stone steps that were slimy with moss. They descended steeply, running fingers along the wall to keep their balance. The veteran slave looked behind him often, stared longingly up the stairs as if desperate to get back to his duties. He winced with pain as he limped along on his poorly set leg.
Bannon would not turn down any chance to escape, but he realized that if he and Lila were going to sail off in a small boat, they had no water, no food, no clothing or blankets, not even any charts. They could rush back to the kitchens, grab some supplies.?.?.?.?No, he shook those thoughts away. This was their first opportunity to escape, and if he and Lila died out on the open water, at least they would die with some semblance of freedom.
The tortured staircase turned again and spilled them out onto a wider landing where daylight flooded through a small barred gate. Bannon drew in a deep breath of the fresh, salt air that replaced the dankness. Outside, he could hear waves crashing on the rocks.
He worked the gate’s metal latch. Caked with salt and rust, the hinges groaned in protest, but he and Lila managed to swing the gate open, to freedom.
A stone jetty extended into the choppy surf, and two small boats were tied to the pilings. One was rotten and half full of water from the crashing spray, but the other was a fishing boat large enough to take two or three people and a haul of fish. It had a single mast and a roll of gray sailcloth tucked against the bow under the front gunwale. A pair of oars rested in the bottom of the boat.
Bannon controlled his disappointment. “I had hoped for something better, but I expected nothing less.”
Lila said, “We will cross the ocean in a rowboat if we need to.”
“You’ll need to,” Emmett said.
Bannon clung to a shred of optimism. “Two people can sail this boat. We will make it work.”
Emmett squirmed, desperate to bolt back inside before the Norukai noticed his absence. Bannon looked at him, thought of the innumerable years of captivity the old man had suffered. “Come with us, Emmett. Escape! We’ll all survive together.”
The old man was taken aback by the suggestion. “N-No, I couldn’t. I don’t dare.”
“You will never get away from King Grieve unless you come with us now,” Lila said. In disgust, she yanked at the ragged neck of her wool garment, tore it, then flung the shapeless dress away. She stood proud, clad as a morazeth again.
The old slave struggled with his decision, but shook his head. “I can’t! All of the other slaves?.?.?.”
“All of the other slaves would also escape if they could. This is your chance! I’m begging you, Emmett,” Bannon said.
But the old man was too frightened. “Go.” He waved them off. “Don’t waste your opportunity. I-I wasted mine long ago. Now I continue to serve.” He swallowed hard. “Until I die.”
“Until you die,” Bannon said. It sounded like a prophecy.
Lila had no further patience. “Here’s the boat, boy. The celebrations are getting louder. The Norukai are intoxicated, and night is falling. If we are to have any chance, it is now.”
Bannon climbed aboard the battered fishing boat, giving a last glance back at the gate, but Emmett had already limped back inside, pulled the bars closed again, and vanished into the shadows.
Lila sprang into the boat with perfect grace. “You know how to sail, boy. Take us away from here.”
Bannon undid the ropes on the piling and used one of the oars to push them away from the jetty. Rowing carefully, he dodged the first line of rocks and spraying waves, then worked his way into the open water. He looked at the towering black Bastion behind them and shuddered as they headed out to the open sea.
CHAPTER 57
Because she would stay in Tanimura to help build the city’s defenses, Nicci found temporary quarters in the main barracks at the garrison. It was only a small room with a narrow bunk and a writing desk, but it was sufficient for her needs.
General Linden stood at the door after escorting her to the room, still nervous after having seen her work with the Grace and the verification web. “I wish I had more appropriate accommodations, but the garrison has swelled with new arrivals, visiting commanders, and volunteers from the city guard.” He fidgeted at the door. “Tomorrow, I will have my adjutant secure a more spacious room for you in one of the boardinghouses.”
“I don’t require extravagance, General. I just spent several days aboard a kraken-hunter ship.” She inhaled deeply, smelled the fresh wood, the clean bedding. “This is a great improvement.”
Linden wrinkled his nose. “I thought I smelled something a little off. Now I know what it was.”
“I’ve had little rest since I first arrived in Serrimundi, and I will sleep well here.” She felt disappointingly washed out, her strength diluted. Nicci’s gift was her greatest weapon, and just as a soldier needed to sharpen his sword before going into battle, she needed to recover her strength.
General Linden gave a quick bow and closed the door, leaving her in the room. Alone and calm, Nicci allowed herself to relax, if only a little. She could never relax entirely, but she needed the rest and the strength.
Before attempting to sleep, knowing the questions would worry her throughout the night, Nicci again took out the small bone box from Richard. She opened the lid, probed it with her gift, but the answers still eluded her. Her sense of frustration increased. Why would Richard send such a cryptic message? Why not just a straightforward answer? This was not a time for games! She had been clear about the incredible threat they faced. If Utros and the Norukai raiders conquered the Old World, they would surely push northward into D’Hara.
Yet Richard’s response had been?.?.?.?this?
She set the open bone box on the wool blanket and bent close to the rotating pearl of energy. She could smell the faint metallic crackle in the air. What did Richard want her to do with it? Why would he assume she could understand the message, even if she did read the language of Creation? After so many years of her being close to him, she and Richard were so tightly connected that Nicci knew his thoughts, his heart. She had been in love with him for a long time, but when she accepted his undying devotion to Kahlan, she resolved to become the second-most-important person in his life. Nicci believed she had achieved that.
Her powers were greater than those of any other sorceress. Along with Nathan, her vital mission was to tame the Old World in the name of the D’Haran Empire. But she knew Richard. She understood how his mind worked. She could often anticipate his thoughts and actions, and he understood Nicci with equal alacrity.
By sending this strange message, Richard knew that this was something she, and only she, would understand. It was a solution, if she could decipher it. “This object is all I need,” she reminded herself, still perplexed. “It holds the key somehow.” He was counting on her. She stared at the bone box, trying to find the missing piece, to understand how she could use this enigmatic constructed spell.
After about an hour, she gave up. Too exhausted to think about it anymore, Nicci knew her thoughts would be clearer after a good rest. She closed the box and pocketed it, then lay back on her bed, worried that her churning thoughts would keep her awake. But moments after closing her blue eyes, she fell into a deep slumber.
In the calm emptiness of a dream state, Nicci’s thoughts stretched over vast distances, and she was surprised to connect with her sister panther again! She looked through Mrra’s sharp feline eyes. Nicci had unwillingly been whisked away from the battle in Orogang, and now she was overjoyed to know the big cat was still alive. Considering the bloodthirsty ancient army in the abandoned capital, she feared that Mrra and the Hidden People had been massacred, though she knew
they would have fought to the last. But her sand panther had escaped somehow.
Now, through her dream connection, Nicci knew that Mrra was running overland, loping along the hills and forests to get back to her. Because of the sliph, they were separated by a great distance. She could feel her sister panther’s weariness, the sore pads of her enormous paws, but Mrra kept coming.
Through the animal’s predatory senses, she realized that the big cat was not alone. Other panthers from her new pride accompanied her, and Nicci was overjoyed to know that some of the big cats had survived the battle at Orogang.
Even as Nicci slept in the Tanimura barracks, she and her sister panther ran along, linked together. Their bond was strong, and Mrra followed it like an implacable summons. Yes, the panthers were coming! No matter how long or arduous the journey, across the wilderness, over the mountains, Mrra would find her.
With her panther senses, though, Nicci detected something else, and she realized that the big cats were not alone. There were other fighters coming to Tanimura, moving at their best speed. Mrra’s focus was not on them, so Nicci could not tell who or what they were, but she knew they were coming.
Armies were gathering.?.?.?.
When Nicci awoke the next morning, not only was she well rested but she also felt a spark of hope, which refreshed her as much as the long rest had.
CHAPTER 58
While many refugees from Cliffwall scattered into the desert wilderness, Nathan and the surviving defenders headed directly westward, anxious to reach the coast in time to prepare the major cities for war. They pushed themselves hard, knowing they had to stay ahead of General Utros’s army.
