And then an arm appears on the ground. I stare at it a moment, unable to process what happened while deep screams fill the air. Once I realize that Kellyn cut it off, I immediately start gagging. Temra silences the attacker’s cries with a well-placed thrust through the heart.
No one moves as we listen for any more attackers. But all is still. No more bastard swords appear, which must clearly be the preferred weapon among Kymora’s men. Temra and Kellyn are both breathing heavily, and I tenderly touch my scalp. Feels as though I’ve got a bald spot about the size of two finger pads in the back.
Now that the danger is gone, I round on my sister, prepared to give her the tongue-lashing of her life for not fleeing when I told her to.
Instead, I come face-to-face with an enraged Kellyn.
“Do you want to tell me what in the twin hells just happened?”
I blink.
“Invisible assassins are where I’m more than allowed to draw the line. Those weren’t sent by your family. One of the assailants tried to drag you off. This is what you were running from back in Lirasu. Who is hunting you and why?”
Temra and I share a look, and I still don’t know whether or not to trust Kellyn. If this had happened before his poor behavior at the Dancing Kiwi, maybe I wouldn’t hesitate, but now that I know what he’s really like—
“We’re on the run from Warlord Kymora Avedin,” Temra says, making the decision for us both. I suppose keeping him in the dark isn’t really an option should he threaten to leave.
“Kymora,” he deadpans, “as in the former leader of the kingdom’s armies? Currently the most dangerous person in all of Ghadra? Unbeatable swordswoman. That Kymora?”
“Yes.”
Kellyn’s eyes widen, as though he hadn’t actually expected Temra to confirm it.
“She’s after me,” I hurry to explain. “Because of what I can do. She wants me to make weapons for her army so she can overthrow the territory leaders and rule all of Ghadra herself.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Kellyn says.
“She cut herself on Secret Eater. I heard her.”
Kellyn looks between me and Temra, as though he’s not sure where to settle his eyes. “And just how do invisible assassins fit in?”
Temra stands by me, offering her strength during this confrontation. “We honestly don’t know anything about that.”
“Wait,” I say as something occurs to me. “The cotton spinner. The only other girl with magic. She must be working for Kymora. She’s made cloaks and gloves that render the wearers invisible.”
“Great,” Kellyn says. “So there’s the potential for more invisible assassins coming our way.”
In the silence that follows his statement, a few birds overhead start chirping to one another. The trees sway in the wind, and the shifting clouds finally let the sun shine down through gaps in the canopy.
And then there are hurried steps on the forest floor. Temra and Kellyn raise their weapons once more, turning toward the threat.
Petrik is running as fast as he can, brandishing the staff in two hands. He stops once he reaches us, looks down at the bodies on the ground. “Everyone all right? What did I miss?”
Kellyn shakes his head. “Did you know about this? That the warlord is hunting them?”
“I suspected,” Petrik answers after his initial surprise. Then the ground captures his attention. The severed arm still wears a glove, so it’s invisible from just below the elbow to the tips of its fingers. Either Petrik’s totally unaffected by the gore or he’s so blinded by his fascination with magic, because he bends down, feels around the invisible arm, registers that it’s a glove, removes it, and then goes searching for the rest of the magically enhanced fabric. He gathers it all and folds the blood-soaked garments to his side.
Kellyn shakes his head at the scholar as he returns his sword once more to its scabbard. “I’m out.”
“What?” I blurt.
“I’m not about to piss off a warlord. If she knows I’m protecting you, my life is over.”
“You—you can’t abandon us!”
“You didn’t tell me what was happening. If I had known the full facts I never would have taken this job.”
I’m shaking my head, not wanting to believe what he’s saying. “You can’t be that selfish! We need you.”
“It was selfish of you not to tell me everything,” he counters. “I should have known what I was up against, what I was risking.”