Tam might know about this place too, she thought, as she pushed the door open. And who knows what he’ll tell the king if he’s captured?
Inside, the room was dim. The only light came from a single light-globe, hovering over a small collection of blankets. Imaiqah was leaning back against a pile of cushions, reading a spellbook; she looked up, her eyes going wide with relief, as she saw Emily. Her face was still bruised, even in the dim light. Emily couldn’t help wondering why Imaiqah hadn’t fixed the damage. Her friend had never been as vain as Alassa, although neither of them had been foolish with it, but Imaiqah had still enjoyed attracting the boys.
“Emily,” Imaiqah said. Her voice was raspy, but strong. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Emily said. She knelt down next to her friend. “What…what happened to you?”
“I was meant to be visiting the king,” Imaiqah said. “We’d…we’d talked, you know, ever since you left me in Cockatrice. It wasn’t the first time he’d summoned me to discuss something or other. This time…this time, they grabbed me the moment I walked into the hall. I didn’t have any warning. They just dropped a cage on me, drained my magic and…and the next thing I knew, I was in the cell.”
Emily swallowed, hard. It was her fault. If she’d told Imaiqah the truth, if she’d warned her about her father’s treachery…and about the fact it might come out sooner rather than later…her friend might have had a chance to escape. But she’d kept her mouth shut instead, trusting that the secret would remain buried. And…
“I’m sorry,” she said, quietly.
“The king came to rant at me, a couple of times,” Imaiqah told her. “He seemed to enjoy telling me about…about everything, then…then his men demanded answers and made me hurt when I didn’t know what to tell them. And then they just started hurting me without even bothering to ask questions and…and I nearly broke.”
“It’s over now,” Emily said. She gave her friend a hug, feeling Imaiqah’s magic spluttering faintly against hers. “And we’ll get out of here.”
“I didn’t believe it, when I saw you,” Imaiqah told her. “I thought I was going to die before the king had a chance to hang me.”
“You escaped,” Emily said. “We got you out.”
She held her friend tightly, silently promising herself that she’d kill Randor the next time she saw him. Imaiqah hadn’t known anything. There was no point in torturing her, nothing to be gained save relieving the king’s feelings by making someone else suffer. Alassa might have been reluctant to shoot her father, but Emily had no such qualms. Zangaria would be better off without a mad monarch.
There was a tap on the door. Cat stepped in a moment later, carrying a piece of hardtack in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Emily took it gratefully, dipping the tack in the water to soften it enough to eat. Sergeant Miles had assured her that a man could live on hardtack alone, if he wished, but Emily couldn’t help feeling that it wouldn’t be a life worth living. Hardtack tasted of cardboard, occasionally with enough hints of a deeper flavor to convince her to keep eating…until she reached the end and discovered that the promises were never kept.
“Thank you,” she said, between bites. She was so hungry she would have welcomed the dwarf’s cooking. “I…”
“Think nothing of it,” Cat said. He looked past her, at Imaiqah. “We’ll be leaving in ten minutes, according to Jade. Will you be ready to go?”
Imaiqah smiled, rather weakly. Emily felt a sudden stab of jealously, followed by another wave of dizziness. She and Cat weren’t anything formal, were they? Cat had made that clear…hell, there was no reason to think that Imaiqah and Cat might be up to something. She was being stupid and yet…
I need sleep, she told herself, firmly. They’d have to find a place to rest, even if it was underneath a hedgerow. The dangers of sleeping in open countryside paled compared to the dangers of staying in the city. And once we get out of here, I can sleep.
“I should be ready,” Imaiqah said. “Do I have a choice?”
She pushed back her blanket and tried to stand, her nightgown riding up to reveal far too much bare flesh for anyone’s peace of mind. Emily shuddered as she saw her friend’s legs. She’d seen all kinds of injuries over the past few years, from the marks left behind by a teacher’s cane to broken bones and pulped flesh, but there was something sickening by how thoroughly Imaiqah had been tortured. It was a minor miracle that Imaiqah could even walk.
“Not really,” Cat said. He quirked an eyebrow. “Unless you know a place you can hide?”
Imaiqah shrugged. “I doubt there’s anywhere I know that isn’t already known to the king,” she managed. Her breath came in gasps and wheezes. “Just give me a week or two and I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll take as long as you need to heal,” Emily said, as she helped her friend to remain upright. She admired Imaiqah’s determination–and understood the mindset that insisted no one could be allowed to spend too long recuperating–but it was stupid. “I’ll get you to a Healer.”
Cat nodded, then swept out of the room, closing the door behind him. Emily held Imaiqah gently, feeling another wave of guilt. She was to blame, wasn’t she? Or was it someone else’s fault? Randor hadn’t had to destroy Paren’s entire family, let alone the rest of the people he’d swept up in his war…
Imaiqah nudged her. “So, you and Cat. When did that happen?”
Emily blushed. “I’ll tell you later. It was a bit of a surprise.”
“You’d better tell me everything,” Imaiqah said. She leaned against Emily as they inched their way to the door. “I want to know the full story.”
“Later,” Emily promised. She’d never really been comfortable talking about boys–or men–but it would distract Imaiqah’s mind from her injuries. “Right now, we have to get out of here.”
Another wave of dizziness struck her. She stumbled, falling to her knees; Imaiqah gasped in pain as her bruised flesh brushed against Emily’s skin. Emily felt her mind start to spin, as if she couldn’t quite think properly. Imaiqah was saying something, but her thoughts were a long–long–way away. She barely heard anything until she felt a hard smack on her bottom. Her eyes jerked open in shock. She was lying on the floor, Alassa and Cat staring down at her.
“Emily,” Cat said. “What happened?”
“I…I don’t know,” Emily managed. “I just felt…”
Jade hurried over to join them, moving one hand in a complicated pattern. “Blood magic,” he swore. “Did you leave some of your blood behind?”
Emily felt a flash of pure horror that drove the rest of the cobwebs from her mind. Blood magic…Shadye had used that against her, years ago. She cursed under her breath as the implications struck her. Matilda had had plenty of time to take a blood sample, if she wished…and, as someone who had never gone to school, she probably wouldn’t share the taboo against blood magic. And she’d presumably had plenty of time to weaken Emily’s defenses too…
“Get the portal open now,” Cat snapped. “We’re leaving.”
“Definitely,” Jade agreed. He eyed Emily warily. “Clear your mind, whatever it takes.”
Emily nodded, trying not to flush in embarrassment. Blood magic…she’d thought her defenses were strong, but they clearly hadn’t stood up to subtle attack. Jade was right to be careful. Matilda might be able to see through Emily’s eyes, hear through her ears…or control her body, just as Shadye had done. She closed her eyes as Alassa helped Imaiqah to a seat, concentrating on feeling out her mind. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, a combination of everything that had happened over the last few days and the remnants of the potions she’d drunk, but…she could feel it now, an influence pressing at the edge of her mind. She pushed it away as hard as she could, locking her mental defenses in place. Matilda wouldn’t be able to influence her any longer.