Chapter 34 #2
“We’ll safeguard the school,” Lysander Orphos announced. “Our place is here.” He looked at Medra and Visha. “Silvio Santos did not fall in the refectory. You saw?”
Visha nodded slowly. “You’re right. There are still Bloodguards out there, from every house.” Her lips twisted. “When highbloods are afraid, they attack the most obvious target.”
“Blightborn.” Medra looked at me, closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. “I trust you, Florence. You’ll bring Blake back to me. I’ll stay at the school. I’ll help Lysander and the others protect the students here.”
The ones who’d managed to survive this long.
I forced myself to nod. Lysander’s words had triggered something.
I looked at the House Orphos leader, a memory breaking through: Lunaya Orphos sitting at our bench in Professor Allenvale’s alchemy class, her ghost-pale hair spilling around her shoulders as she reached out a hand to brush a leaf of emberfern.
“House Drakharrow would use it on their dragon riders. When prepared correctly, it was said to be able to amplify courage and strength.”
“Emberfern,” I murmured. At my feet, Neville let out a yap. I reached down, patting him absent-mindedly, impressed that he’d stuck around this long with all of the horrible things that were happening.
Rodriguez heard me. “The herb you’ve been studying for your project?”
I nodded slowly. “Emberfern was mixed with mirthleaf and given to riders of Inferni. If it worked on riders, specifically Inferni ones, what if it could work on Blake?” I chewed my bottom lip.
“I’ve been analyzing it, and it’s volatile when handled, yes, but powerful.
I think there’s more to it than we know. ”
“Blake’s not a dragon rider, Florence. We don’t know what he is—or even if there’s anything left of him in there,” Rodriguez pointed out.
I knew he was right. Still, I turned to Lysander. “If I could talk to Professor Allenvale about this, she might have some insight. She’s in House Orphos. Could we get to her somehow?” I felt sure she’d tell me if this was a terrible idea or not.”
Lysander glanced at Medra, then at Sankara. “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
“What do you mean?” I demanded, glancing around the worktable. “Where is she?”
Sankara’s massive shoulders sagged. “Child, we found her in the refectory. Viktor fed her to an infected guard.”
I covered my mouth with my hands, but a sob slipped out. “No. No. Not Allenvale.”
Professor Allenvale was sweet and kind and gentle. I remembered how delighted her face had been when she’d met Neville. I could feel Nyxaris in the back of my mind. Knew he was sensing my grief.
“I’m so sorry, Florence.” Medra slipped her arm around my waist, and I leaned against her.
“Why?” I choked. “Why her?”
Sankara glanced at Rodriguez. “Viktor found out that she was leading a … rebellion.”
“A rebellion?” I sputtered. “That’s ridiculous. What kind of rebellion?”
“It’s not so ridiculous, and she wasn’t the only one,” Rodriguez said quietly.
“House Orphos has been funding projects designed to bring about change at Bloodwing and in the rest of Sangratha,” Lysander announced. “By any means necessary. Unfortunately, we were just getting started with this one when …”
I bristled. “When Professor Allenvale was murdered?”
“She was the best of us,” Sankara murmured.“It’s a terrible, terrible loss, and we feel it, believe me, Miss Shen. She’s paid a terrible price.”
“Vasanti was a true believer,” Rodriguez said stubbornly. “She would never have backed down. It was a price she was ready to pay.”
“The work she began will continue, in all of us.” Lysander’s eyes were fiery.
The Orphos leader looked at me, as if silently asking me to join them. Saving Veilmar was one thing. But a rebellion? Against what—all highbloods? Against the inequality I’d grown up with all my life? That system was embedded throughout Sangratha. How could you even fight something like that?
“At least Blake put Vasanti out of her fucking misery,” Visha muttered, kicking at the leg of the table.
“What do you mean?” I whispered, my head whipping up to look at Medra. “Blake killed her?”
Medra’s face had gone white.
Sankara answered. “When the boy became the dragon, he burned her. And the Bloodguard feeding from her.”
I moaned as my mind pictured it all.
Lysander leaned forward. “It wasn’t cruelty, Florence. It was mercy. I truly believe that. He only wished to end her suffering.”
“Mercy,” I repeated. I looked at Medra. “Then, that proves it, doesn’t it? Something of Blake is in there. He’s not gone.”
“Right. But the next thing he did wasn’t so fucking merciful.” Visha’s face was hard. “He flew straight to Veilmar.”
Medra rubbed a hand over her eyes. “I think there’s a battle going on inside of him. He’s fighting for control. But right now …” she said as she shrugged helplessly “ … Vorago is winning.”
I looked at Rodriguez. “I won’t stop trying to get Blake back, but Nyxaris is waiting. I have to go. Will you help me gather what I need?”
He nodded. No more arguments. Everyone began to move, all of us fueled by an overwhelming sense of urgency.
To my surprise,Visha began stripping.“We’re about the same size,” she said, eyeballing me as she started shrugging out of the black-and-cherry-red jerkin she was wearing.The leather had been cut thin and layered for strength, with overlapping pieces along the shoulders and a high collar.
I held out my arms dutifully as she yanked the jerkin over my shoulders.Visha patted my stomach as she tightened the lacings.
“It’s soft leather.You’ll still be able to twist and turn as you ride. ”
As she started to pull narrow crimson vambraces over my arms, I called out instructions to Rodriguez. He pulled the bottle of crushed mirthleaf I’d already prepared earlier from the cupboard along with a bundle of emberfern. “Wear gloves! The sap stings if it touches your skin.”
He nodded and did as I said. I continued to call out the ratio of ingredients from memory, my mind harkening back to the books I’d read that echoed Lunaya’s claim.
The strongest recipe I’d read about had the highest ratio of emberfern and the lowest amount of mirthleaf.
I decided we’d use that one. Rodriguez worked quickly, crushing the emberfern leaves with a mortar and pestle and then blending the two herbs together into a sticky mixture.
As he worked across the room, equipment was being spread out on the table before me.
Lysander laid down a crossbow. The wood was lacquered in a rich shade of violet, and the trigger guard was inlaid with gold.
The House Orphos motto was scrawled along the wood.
Blood of Dreamers. I touched the words gently with a fingertip.
“This was my sister’s,” he said. “I know she’d want you to have it now.”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. “I’m honored to carry it until she returns. I wish she were here with us.”
A silver-and-black bolt case clattered down beside the bow.
Kage’s Second, Evie, stood there. I hadn’t noticed her come in.
“Avari scout bolts. Shorter quills, lighter shafts.” She flicked open the lid to show twenty bolts nested inside, each fletched with raven feathers. “They’re the best we have.”
I nodded, trying not to show the fear I was feeling at the thought of actually firing a crossbow from dragonback.
As Visha finished dressing me, cinching greaves over the boots she’d given me, and now standing barefoot herself, Rodriguez came over holding a flask full of a coppertinged syrup.
Healer Elycia was beside him. Her expression focused, she started pulling on a second pair of gloves.
Together they removed the bolts and began carefully coating them in the two mixtures.
Parapet. Now, Nyxaris’s voice boomed in my skull.
“We’re out of time,” I whispered. “Nyxaris says I have to go.”
Rodriguez set down the last of the bolts.
“First, listen.” He pointed to the first set of bolts.
“Godsbane on its own will sting him. It’ll slow his reflexes, steal some of his heat.
But the coatings can’t mingle together on a single quarrel—we have no idea what effect they could have on one another. They need to stay separate.”
I nodded. “So I shoot with Godsbane bolts first.”
“Yes. Then, if you’re determined to try the emberfern mix—” he glanced at Medra, standing silently beside me “—well, Nyxaris will have to cut an opening for you.”
My heart sped up. Not that it could go any faster at this point. “What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what it sounds like. He’ll need to hit Vorago with a direct blast. Dragon fire is the only thing besides Godsbane that will penetrate Inferni scales. You’ll shoot the emberfern bolts into the wound. We have no idea what Vorago’s healing speed is like, so act quickly.”
The entire room was hushed. The plan sounded less like strategy and more like a game of dice—a game I had very little chance of winning.
I swallowed, turned, and found Medra watching me.
Her eyes were steady. “Do whatever you have to do to bring him back. The Blake I know would rather carry countless scars than wake from this with Veilmar’s blood staining his soul.
” Her fingers closed over my forearm. “Don’t flinch.
Not even for a moment. You can do this.”
I nodded. But surely it was too late. Whatever was left of Blake, tonight had stained his soul irrevocably. How could it not?
To my surprise, Professor Sankara clapped me on the shoulder next.
“I’ve never had the honor of having you as my student, Miss Shen, but Professor Allenvale had only wonderful things to say.
Remember her bravery, and let it drive you tonight.
Luck usually boils down to quick thinking and courage.
From what I can see, you have both in good measure. ”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I forced a wobbly smile. “Thank you.”
Visha came towards me, holding a sheathed dagger. She tucked it into one of my greaves. “Come back safe.”
I looked at all their faces, one by one, wondering if I’d ever see any of them again.
My eyes flew to Evie. “My mother …”
“We found her,” Kage’s Second said quickly.
“She was barricaded in her room with some of the other librarians. An Avari team went out earlier to find them. She’s unharmed.
” She hesitated. “She’s down in the common room.
Theo Drakharrow and his friend are sitting with her now.
Do you want to see her before you go? She’s been asking about you. ”
I closed my eyes, then shook my head. I knew Theo would tell her what was happening. “No. I have to go.” I opened my eyes, looking at my dearest friend. “Medra …”
Her green eyes gleamed. “Yes, you can.” She answered the question on the tip of my lips in a voice of steel.
My eyes watered, but I nodded.Then I slung the bolt case up over my shoulder, grabbed Lunaya’s crossbow, and headed to the stairs.
There was a dragon waiting for me. And we had a city to save.