Chapter 35 #3
What if Iryana ruined Hadima’s plan? What if she got her sister killed? She would have to trust her sister, who had always been so capable.
Hadima walked into the clearing, awkwardly fumbling with a red woolen coin purse. She was pretending to be the contact of the 18th’s liaison, thinking she was meeting him for the first time.
“Nevesh Dyol? It is good to finally meet,” Hadima mumbled, crossing the clearing without a pause of hesitation. “I have what we agreed upon.”
“Of course, what a pleasure?” Karvek stood there, hands clasped behind his back, letting her walk toward him. “You work at the fort?”
Hadima stopped partway across the clearing, nearly dropping the purse. Plenty close enough for a dart. “No, but I have a contact.”
Iryana squeezed the tree tighter, wishing she could see her sister’s face better.
Hadima needed to get closer.
“I thought you were from Myura River.” His voice was low, dangerous. “How am I supposed to trust your intel? Who is this source?”
“I promised to keep them a secret.”
Why wasn’t she walking closer? Why was she stalling?
“I need to know who the source is or I’m not paying.” Karvek said casually, watching her like a hawk watches a mouse.
“Sorry.” Hadima’s voice was too soft, too weak. Was that her plan?
They stared at each other, and Iryana watched with growing horror. She was sweating, her grip on the tree loosening.
Hadima shifted her weight. “It’s getting dark; we shouldn’t wait any longer.”
Karvek looked around the clearing, and Iryana could almost see the gears turning in his head. The silence was heavy, bloated. Then his face shifted.
“The dakii are just beginning to wake up.” Karvek was smiling.
That made Hadima tense. “Exactly, I need to get home.”
She stepped forward, holding out the money in her non-dominant hand. And then she stumbled, jerking forward.
A pale blue blur shot forward as Hadima threw her forging. Iryana held her breath. With the imbued poison she’d have dipped it in, the dart would just have to graze Karvek.But he deftly stepped to the side, the dart disappearing before it even hit the ground.
Iryana sucked in a sharp breath as Karvek quickly covered the distance between him and Hadima. Seized both her wrists.
“Who is your contact in the 18th?” Karvek demanded, his voice cold.
“I can’t tell you,” Hadima cried, trying to pull away.
“Tell me!”
Hadima sobbed out, “I don’t know! I don’t know.”
Karvek shook her, and Iryana was sure that would be the moment Hadima sprung into action.
It wasn’t.
“You’re useless,” Karvek growled, knocking her across the clearing and just out of sight.
Her skin a sweaty inferno beneath her clothes, Iryana summoned her bow and an arrow. She drew back, waiting for a sign that she had to step in.
Her fingers twitched, wanting to release the string, but letting Karvek know it had been a trap would be dangerous if she didn’t land a killing blow. Could she do it? Her hands were shaking far too much for her to trust her aim with her sister’s life.
Then Karvek walked up to Hadima and leaned down. Iryana struggled to see or hear what was being said. Had her sister killed him?
A sharp yelp echoed through the clearing, and for a moment, Iryana thought her sister had done it, had stabbed Karvek. But then she heard a rumble of Karvek’s anger, and another of her sister’s cries.
Hadima.
Karvek landed blow after blow, losing any sense of control or plan. The glimpses Iryana saw of his face were twisted in a dark rage. “Tell me!” He demanded, kicking her again. Hadima’s cry stabbed into Iryana’s heart. It sounded like she was trying to fight back now, but not well enough.
Iryana leaned, trying to get a clear view, but it was no use.
If she stepped in, Karvek would know. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.
He wouldn’t hesitate to wipe out her entire family.
She reminded herself of this over and over while she listened to her sister’s cries.
Tears ran hot down Iryana’s face. If she were strong enough, good enough, Iryana could stop Karvek herself. But she couldn’t.
As panic drove into her, Iryana no longer cared that she wasn’t enough to defeat Karvek, that her whole family could be destroyed if he saw her. The only thing echoing across her mind was that her sister needed her.
She waited as long as she could. Until she knew Karvek had moved far enough away not to hear her. And then she released her forgings and scrambled back toward the trunk of her tree to climb down.
She had to save her sister, had to get down there quickly.
But part-way down, a strap of her armor got stuck on the tree.
Panic flooded her instantly, and Iryana struggled to free herself.
She could still hear her sister’s cries as Karvek beat her.
Iryana grew increasingly frantic, her hands slipping off the strap as she tried to undo it, failing to find purchase.
Her whole body was shaking now, her breaths coming in too quick and shallow.
Then Hadima stopped crying out.