Chapter 7
The emperor’s property.
The words echoed in Nina’s head as she followed the stranger called Kasik out the doors of the acllahuasi. No one stopped
her, though Mamakuna Dusi was hot on her heels, the utterances of prayers like a chant from her lips. She hadn’t stopped rubbing
that strange stone on her wrist since she started. It was black in some light, iridescent in others. A hue that was at once
strangely familiar and entirely foreign.
“Call to him,” Kasik demanded. They had come to an abrupt stop in the middle of the grassy yard. The tree line where Nina
had failed to escape was so close. If she tried to run again, would she make it?
But another attempt might land her back in that godsforsaken cell where she could feel the spiders seeking her warmth and
planning for their new home within her bones. Where she had too much time to think, to remember what she had done all those
weeks ago, when two boys had fallen to their knees at her feet.
Even with the tea they so graciously continued to provide, her mind seemed incapable of dwelling upon anything else. The memory
was tainted with the illusion of power, and a strange sort of craving had begun to grow in her chest.
Those boys might have died because of her, and it was only her uncertainty that had stopped her then.
Nina would not allow that same uncertainty to ruin this opportunity. The walla seemed bent on proving some sort of point that
looked as though it might free her from the acllahuasi, and who was she to question that?
To her surprise, the mamakuna obeyed, though her voice was strained. There was a rustle of brush and then a man in red appeared, a blade hanging loose at his side.
The man began the descent down the small hill with a light step. He was entirely unaware of his oncoming punishment, and Nina
gained a sick sort of satisfaction from it. She could still feel his hands around her wrists. The way his body had hardened
against hers as she lay helpless beneath him. Even his blood had tasted foul, as if he were infected from the inside.
“Mamakuna Dusi,” the man said once he was before them.
“This is Kamayuq Kasik. He has a question for you.”
Ekko turned to Kasik, chin high, shoulders back. It was like watching a bird preen itself before its mate. In direct opposition,
Kasik slid his hand around the hilt of a weapon at his belt, each of his movements controlled, unbothered by the posturing
before him.
The whine of metal echoed through the air as Kasik released his blade from its sheath. The tip caught the light and winked.
Ekko’s face paled, and his gaze flicked past Nina to the mamakuna. Nina couldn’t help but smile at him, jaw throbbing as a
reminder of what he had done.
“On your knees,” Kasik demanded.
“What is the meaning of this?” Ekko stuttered, stepping back. Kasik raised the blade to his throat and Ekko raised his hands
in response. “I’ve done nothing wrong,” he insisted. But his eyes betrayed his lies when they shifted to Nina.
“On your knees, walla. I will not say it again.”
Whatever Ekko saw in Kasik’s eyes made him obey. He slowly knelt on the ground, head tilted up to keep the blade below his
chin and his eyes pinned on Kasik.
“This is your last chance,” Kasik said softly, the words just for her, “to walk away and avoid witnessing this.”
But Nina knew, from the resolve in his broad shoulders and the steadiness of his hands, that there would be no avoiding this. It would happen whether or not she bore witness to it, and it felt important to ensure that she did, if only because it seemed he was doing it in her name.
“I’ll stay,” she reassured him, and Kasik nodded before turning back to Ekko.
“By order of Emperor Maicu, son of Yachua, descendant of Inti, and ruler of the united Tawantinsuyu, I hereby sentence you
to death by beheading for treason. Effective immediately.”
Ekko screamed something incoherent. Nina covered her mouth. Mamakuna Dusi protested, saying something about how he couldn’t
be faulted for doing his job.
It was going much further than Nina had imagined it would, and yet she did nothing but watch as Kasik raised his curved blade
and swung it in a downward arc. It screamed through the air, metal glittering, and hugged flesh and bone with a wet squelch.
And then there was silence.
Ekko’s eyes were wide. Kasik’s weapon was on the other side of his body, the blade dripping blood. Nina stared as the head
slowly slid away and hit the ground with a thud. For a moment, she thought she might be sick. She couldn’t remember ever being
so close to death that she was able to smell the blood and see the way life drained from his eyes.
A wave of nausea came over her, and she sucked in a breath and watched Kasik kneel in his victim’s blood, the curve of his
blade buried into the ground for support.
Nina blinked, and it was a different boy kneeling at her feet and bleeding in the dirt. She blinked again, and the past disappeared.
The emperor’s man pushed to his feet and turned to face the mamakuna. A single drop of blood adorned his cheek like a mark
from the gods. Nina fought the urge to reach out and wipe it away.
“I suggest you dig a deep grave, and quickly. The god’s blessing is not enough to keep the things that will consume a body at bay.”
Nina heard the mamakuna shuffle away, then Kamayuq Kasik stepped forward.
She remembered that kamayuq was a position in the emperor’s army.
A commander of men, and now, it seemed, a commander of her.
Nina’s stomach tightened with distrust, but he only lowered his voice and asked, “Is there anything you need to collect
before we leave?”
Nina glanced at the garish blood splattered against the soft green grass. She wondered what it felt like to dole out retribution
so completely. If it wasn’t for her sister’s soft pleas, Nina would have become familiar with the feeling.
This isn’t you, Sacha had said, but Nina wasn’t sure that was true.
“There’s nothing for me here,” she finally answered, her eyes meeting his with resolve.
The kamayuq nodded once. “The emperor is waiting.”
There was no doubt in her mind that she would follow Kasik. She had no idea who he was, why he was there, or where they were
going, but he had taken the life of someone who had laid a hand on her. If it was his duty to protect her, then she would
use that to her advantage and take what he was giving her—an escape.
Nina looked to the sky, hoping to get an idea of which direction her home was, but the sun was hidden behind a sheet of gray.
If she never saw the color again, it would be too soon.
The ground shifted, and Nina steadied herself with a deep breath. She hadn’t had much to eat or drink beyond the tea while
she was locked in that lightless room, and furiously hoped the kamayuq had plans to feed her. She turned to ask him, but he
was already stalking away with purpose.
And not toward the tree line, as she had hoped. He was circling to the back of the acllahuasi. Nina ran to catch up with him.
“Where are you going?” she asked breathlessly, having to take two steps to his one. He was much taller than her, which wasn’t
saying much as she wasn’t very tall, but he was also wide like a tree. His long hair swayed as he walked, and she wondered
whether he had ever needed it cut. If he had ever broken a rule. Most likely not, she decided. He didn’t seem the type.
“We are going to find Capac, and then we are leaving this place.” She saw him surveying the grounds and the trees beyond. “I told
him to stay, but gods forbid he listens when I need him to. Are there stables around here somewhere?”
“I’ve never seen more than the inside of this place,” she replied.
Just as she said the words, a small lean-to came into view. Under the flimsy cover of wood was a familiar black beast, sniffing
the ground between its giant paws. She saw the kamayuq’s shoulders drop in relief, and then he was rushing forward.
Nina came to an abrupt stop, ready to turn and run if necessary, but the achipuma saw Kasik coming and merely leaned forward.
Then Kasik surprised her by tenderly resting his forehead against the achipuma’s.
It was such a contrast to the version of him she had seen moments before, where he had demanded a man kneel and separated
his head from his body. This felt intimate. Like something that Nina shouldn’t have been witness to, and while it was touching,
she was desperate to leave and never look back.
She cleared her throat loudly. “There’s only the one?”
“Are you disappointed?” Kasik answered curtly without looking her way.
The first time she had seen one of the gods’ beasts was ten years ago, when the emperor’s men had ridden into Limac on them. They had seemed larger than life then. Like monsters straight from her nightmares.
When she had seen them again weeks ago, they had been much smaller than she remembered, but no less dangerous. Nina assumed
they were meant to strike fear into the hearts of the common people. A show of power from the emperor, and to boast his favor
with the gods.
Much to her dismay, it worked. Nina went no closer as Kasik coaxed the achipuma to his feet and then walked back toward her.
For the first time since he had arrived, Nina had a clear view of his face and no reason to look away. His features were large
but evenly set. Dark eyes that seemed to be perpetually narrowed in concern. A prominent chin and jaw that flexed with each
step he took.
He caught her staring, and one of his eyebrows arched in question. “There’s no need to be afraid,” Kasik said.
“I’m not,” Nina answered automatically. “I’m just remembering how one attacked me the last time I saw it.”
“I have a hard time believing that,” Kasik said, rubbing the beast’s neck fondly. “Here, give me your hand.”
When Nina eyed him skeptically, he said, “Let him get to know you.”
If it wasn’t for the threat of returning to the acllahuasi looming behind her, Nina would have refused. With a sigh, she reluctantly