16. Zari #2
“Oh. I apologize!” Tobias’s eyes widened. “I… I see. I don’t know much sign language but maybe we could all take turns writing or…” He seemed to fina lly be aware that Zari had fixed him with her most level, annoyed glare. “I’ll cut right to the point.”
Which was exactly what he should have done, minutes ago. Zari had to breathe a small sigh of relief that he was the one dealing with them and not the Crimson.
Tobias looked steadily at her. “Zari… can you be honest with me?”
“Of course,” she smiled through the lie.
“If you’ve gotten mixed up in some trouble, just tell me. I’ll do whatever I can. After all, you did save my life.”
“That’s kind of you.” He’s too kind indeed , she thought, for his chosen career . Because already she knew his sympathy would give her the upper hand in this situation.
“So whatever this warrant is about, just tell me the truth, alright?”
Warrant? Zari’s fingers twisted together, her palms suddenly slick with sweat. Even Hazelle must have noticed her fear, for her expression shifted, an edge tightening her otherwise gentle features. “A search warrant?” Zari hedged.
He shook his head. “One for your, uh, arrest, Miss Ankmetta. The other soldier, the Crimson, I don’t know if he realized you’re the one we were looking for.”
In her shock, Zari bit down hard on her lip, wincing as the pain coursed through her. A doubly-terrible statement. An arrest warrant and, perhaps, a reveal to Hazelle of her connection to the famed Rhydonian general.
Hazelle didn’t seem to have noticed Tobias’s comment. Good. One small mercy.
Zari asked, “Why?”
She had to hope, too, that Tivre had guessed something was wrong and had a plan. The only small grace was that Tivre had chosen a first-class cabin, which were always located toward the back of the train, as that usually was a safer and more desirable location.
Pink lights sparked in the edges of her vision. Zari blinked and rubbed her eyes, only to catch Hazelle winking at her. The faintest bit of pink light, and the scent of something floral, seemed to cling to the fae. She’d used magic, Zari realized. Something to help them.
“Yes,” Hazelle said, speaking slowly and deliberately. “Why are you here, soldier?”
Tobias’s eyes flickered in Hazelle’s direction. His blush deepened. “I’m s-sorry, miss, for the intrusion of your mealtime. I’m here to help your friend. I just have to take her to the station for questioning.”
“Then you will help?” Hazelle asked, and Zari fought a wince at the accent in her words, so unlike any she’d heard before.
“Of course.” Tobias’s grin turned all the more gallant. “That’s what I’m here for, keeping pretty ladies like you safe.”
Zari fought an eye roll at the budding, and certainly ill-fated, romance. Just what she needed.
Hazelle lunged past her. She reached her arm out to slam the sliding pocket door closed, trapping all three of them in the tiny room. “How?” she asked, her tone sharp. “How will you help?”
“I, uh—” Tobias stuttered, staring at her. “Miss, with all due respect, you—”
Fingers flying, Hazelle was already sketching more of those glowing pink shapes.
They hovered in the air, as Zari’s breath caught.
Beside her, Tobias was motionless, entranced by either Hazelle’s beauty or the terror at realizing she wasn’t exactly human.
Before he could speak on either topic, Hazelle snapped her fingers.
The pink shapes hit him in a shower of sparks.
Tobias collapsed onto the table. “Hazelle!” Zari whisper-shouted. “Did you… did you hurt him?”
“No!” she shook her head, blonde locks flying free from their confines. Even glamoured, her hair shone with such brightness it seemed to glow. “I meant to make him forget. But memory work is such a fussy thing, and oh, no one is good at it these days, not since the mages are gone and—”
Zari feared the worst. “Is he alive?”
“Yes! Absolutely,” Hazelle leaned forward to examine him more closely. Her fingers ran through his hair. “Do many mortals have such delightful curls? And his eyes! They were such a lovely shade of brown. He will wake soon, though, my magic cannot last long here.”
Clearly, Tobias was not the only one instantly smitten. Zari groaned. “If he remembers what you did, then—”
“We’ll be long gone.”
The Crimson soldier had also seen that Zari traveled with a companion.
Captain Javen was no fool. He’d send more soldiers after them, even if she managed to escape for now.
Zari closed her eyes, taking a steadying breath.
“No. They’ll send more soldiers after us.
Better ones than him. More deadly. If I’m wanted for questioning, I should go with them. ”
That would give Hazelle and the others a chance to escape.
As for herself… she’d figure out the next step once this one was complete.
She’d committed no crime. Javen would have to let her go after questioning.
Then, perhaps she’d return to the capital.
She’d find a different way to get to the isles and her father.
Hazelle nodded. “I will go. You will find us? As soon as you can?”
“I’m not sure how quickly I’ll be able to. You should head back to the isles, with Daeden and Tivre. There’s too much at stake. The Accords are—”
“The Accords must not be broken,” Hazelle cut her off. “He is rather cute, don’t you think? Meet us at Lochna, Zari. There, our magic will be stronger and I can do more to protect you.”
The idea of traveling all the way there alone, to the same place that so many had died, made her skin prickle. She would have to lie, before Hazelle ran out of time to escape. “Yes, I will see you at Lochna.”
Hazelle nodded. She summoned more magic and once more melted the glass of the window.
Without a sound, she pulled herself up and through the opening.
Zari hurried to close the curtain behind her, hoping no one would notice the vanished glass.
As she did, Zari spied a dilapidated station with a faded sign proclaiming the stop name of Wesburg.
Between the moonlight and scarce gas lamps outside, smokestacks and rows of squat houses cast long shadows.
Wesburg… why did that town sound familiar ?
Still draped over the table, Tobias groaned, low. Zari turned to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. She shook him gently, calling his name, until he looked at her. “Zari? What happened? I found you here and… didn’t you have a friend?”
“No, I was alone.” Zari pointed to the doorframe. “You hit your head as you came in. I’m ready to go, if you are.”
Tobias motioned for her to stand. His hand hovered by the cuffs in his belt, but he hesitated. “I can trust you, right?”
When she’d met Tobias, she’d found him sweet but a little naive, and this interaction did nothing to change her perception. “Nurse’s honor.” She wore the same smile she’d use when she had to coax a patient to take their medicine.
Nodding, Tobias escorted her toward the train car door. The handcuffs remained at his side, and the fae blade hidden underneath her coat.
The night air hit her in a chilling rush.
Wesburg’s climate was cooler than that of the capital, with a damp fogginess that drifted down from nearby lakes.
It was an ideal area for game hunters, Zari recalled, as the reason for the town’s familiarity came back to her.
Now, she shivered more as the grief of the past washed over her.
As Tobias exited the metal platform outside the train car, he offered his hand to help her down. She let him. The weaker he thought her, the safer she’d be.
Her plan, however, came to a crashing halt with the pounding of hooves.
Together, she and Tobias turned to see an officer astride a massive bay gelding. The rider was tall, with dark hair, and a dark military-issued overcoat billowing out behind him. He was also the last person Zari wished to see.
“C-Captain Javen! You… you’re here!” Tobias’s sloppy salute earned him a derisive scoff from Javen.
“With your keen observation skills, I’m amazed you have succeeded in the task so far,” Javen drawled. Dismounting, he passed the reins to Tobias. “Return this horse to the stables. We will be doing a full sweep of this miserable town. ”
“But Miss Ankmetta is right here.” Tobias said. “I located her, like you asked.”
“And now I am requesting another task, Lieutenant, as is the nature of work.”
Tobias paled and saluted once more before clucking at the horse. It didn’t move. “Come on, buddy, time to go.” Tobias pulled a bit on the reins. Still the horse remained frozen in place.
Javen rolled his eyes. He stepped forward, stroked the horse along its neck and whispered something to it. His tone was gentle, far more than any time she’d ever heard him speak before. As if agreeing with him, the horse let out a gentle huff, then started walking, nearly bumping into Tobias.
Wordlessly, Javen stepped back to Zari’s side and ground out his now finished cigarette on the dirt road beneath them. “You will follow me,” he told Zari as Tobias and the horse disappeared from view.
Lacking other options, she did as commanded.
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of peat and shaking the shingles of the cobblestone houses they passed.
Javen moved silently, his dark uniform a match to the night sky.
Only now did she notice how the sword he wore was a twin to the elegant fae blade that remained hidden between her shoulder blades.
Just who was Captain Javen?