She resisted the urge to close her eyes as the shouting grew louder. Frieda could probably get her back to Sorcerers Row – if nothing else, Frieda could turn her into something lighter and carry her – but she didn’t dare sleep. This close to the presence, this close to its endless whispers…she knew it would leech its way into her mind. She knew it had already come far too close to crushing her.
Frieda caught her arm. Emily jerked. She’d been closer to sleep than she’d realized.
“They’re starting to probe the alleys,” Frieda hissed. “We have to move!”
Emily forced herself upright. Her entire body felt drained, but somehow she managed to stumble down the alley. She heard doors being knocked down and windows smashed, men shouting and women screaming as the Fists of Justice tore the block apart looking for them. Emily prayed, silently, that they wouldn’t abuse the innocent civilians, but she knew that prayer was unlikely to be granted. The Fists had been humiliated, first by General Pollack and then by Emily herself. They’d be out for revenge.
The noise grew louder as they reached a crossroads and stopped, trying to determine which way would take them further away from the hunters. Frieda wanted to go down the south passage, but Emily stopped her. She’d never liked hunting, but Alassa had talked enough about it for Emily to know the basics. One group of hunters would drive the animals forward while the other group lay in wait, knowing the animals would eventually run into their trap. The Fists of Justice would know they had to make their way back to Sorcerers Row. They’d be lying in wait.
Which is why we meant to drive them away from Sorcerers Row, she thought. General Pollack had accounted for that, hadn’t he? But what if that part of the plan didn’t work?
She leaned against Frieda as they headed east, trying not to disturb the handful of people sleeping rough. Some of them woke up, looking around blearily. Emily tried to warn them to run as she and Frieda stumbled past, but it didn’t look as if they believed her. Besides, they probably didn’t have anywhere to go. She felt magic flickering over her head and gritted her teeth, hiding their presence as much as possible. The Fists of Justice were using magic to hunt for them.
They won’t be able to get a solid look at us without a blood sample, she thought. And I don’t think I left any blood behind.
She cursed under her breath. She’d been bleeding after the explosion…had she dripped some blood on the temple floor? Would they think to look for it? She didn’t think Justice could suggest it to his creators. She’d been too dazed to check before Frieda had yanked her out of the temple…
Keep the defenses up, she told herself, sharply. Blood magic was dangerous – and more for her than anyone else – but it could be beaten. She knew how to defend herself, if she had a chance to focus. And…
“Stop,” a voice bellowed.
Emily turned. Five men ran towards them, carrying swords. Frieda stepped forward, lashing out with her magic. The first spells flashed out of existence against their armor, but the second set – picking up and throwing cobblestones – were gruesomely effective. Their victims were smashed to bloody paste.
“Back to Sorcerers Row,” Frieda insisted.
Emily nodded as they started to run. She could hear more shouts behind them as the other Fists caught the scent, following their dead comrades…in hindsight, she should have tried to make a diversion to give them a chance to sneak away. Too late for that now…she closed her eyes for a moment as they turned the corner, passing yet another smashed statue. The sight tore at her heart, even though she didn’t believe. No matter what happened, Beneficence would never be the same again.
She glanced at Frieda. Did she believe? She’d never talked about religion with any of her friends, save for Caleb and Alassa. Did she think the destroyed temples and statues were blasphemous? Or did she think the money could have been better spent on something else?
Frieda staggered to a halt. “Emily, look!”
Emily lifted her weary eyes and stared in horror. Sorcerers Row was burning. A dozen houses had caught fire, eerie-looking flames spreading from house to house as the remaining wards struggled to contain them. The stench was overpowering, warning her that hundreds of dangerous potions and their ingredients were burning. She covered her nose and forced herself to look. Caleb’s house was completely gone, nothing more than a roaring blaze…as she watched, the roof fell in, the entire house collapsing into a pile of burning debris. She’d never liked the ramshackle house, but she knew Sienna and General Pollack had loved it. It was their home…
She peered down the street. The barricade had been destroyed, smashed to rubble. A number of bodies were clearly visible, but so badly mutilated that she didn’t have a hope of identifying them. Was one of them Caleb? Her heart skipped a beat as she realized her lover might be dead. Or General Pollack? She didn’t think there were any women among the dead, but several of the bodies were so badly battered she couldn’t tell if they were male or female. Sienna and her daughters might be dead too…
They struck back, Emily thought. Harman betrayed us. We marched out to attack them, and they struck while we were gone.
Frieda caught her arm. “What now?”
Emily stared at her. “I don’t know.” Caleb couldn’t be dead, could he? She didn’t want to even consider the possibility. “I just don’t know.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
FRIEDA LED HER INTO A SIDE-STREET. Emily leaned against the wall, as soon as they were out of sight, and forced herself to think. Her body ached, but there was no time to sit and sleep. The shouting grew closer as more and more Fists swarmed the area, searching for them. They couldn’t stay still for long…
I don’t know where to go, she thought, frantically. If Caleb and his family were dead, she had nowhere to go. She also didn’t have any money on her. Even if she somehow convinced an innkeeper to give them a bed for the night, she’d be running a terrible risk. The innkeeper might betray them to their enemies. She didn’t know anyone else in the city…