Page 129 of Shadows of Winter

Kaylina returned the book to the desk and grabbed her knife, sling, and pouch of rounds. “It’s hard to thwart a curse.”

“It is indeed.”

A distant boom reverberated through the cliff. It sounded like it had come from farther away than the castle, but it was hard to tell from deep underground.

“You’re right.” Vlerion picked up his pace, gritting his teeth against his leg wound to take the stone stairs three at a time. “They may still need help up there.”

“I’m ready.” Kaylina hurried after him. “But what should I do if we run into the queen?”

“She won’t be out in the middle of a battle.”

“Her guards might be.”

Vlerion paused to look back at her. “Maybe you should stay down here. Or better yet, leave through that hole. It must connect to the catacombs. According to the maps we have of the city underground, there’s almost a mile between the end of the tunnels and this cliff, but the Virts could have been excavating a new passageway for a long time. There are so many tunnels and hidden doors down there that the patrollers might not have noticed another one.”

“I’d rather stay with you.”

“To read to me if I go berserk again?”

“Well, I returned the book to the jail library. I’m not a thief. And that didn’t work as well as one might have hoped.” She raised her eyebrows. “Are you likely to, uhm, go berserk again?” Become the beast. “It seemed to take a lot out of you.”

Vlerion straightened his spine and lifted his chin, as if to deny that he was anything but hale and full of vigor, but he did say, “Usually, at least a few hours have to pass before it can happen again. Sometimes, even days. I haven’t attempted to test it fully, for reasons I trust you understand, but turning does bleed off the dangerous edge for a time, even if my emotions are roused again right after I change back into myself.”

Another distant boom sounded, the stone walls vibrating with the explosion. Vlerion looked up and then back at Kaylina.

“I’m sticking with you,” she said firmly. “Besides, there could be a second wave of invaders waiting in that tunnel, and I’d run right into them with only my sling and this little letter opener to protect me.”

Not that she thought she would be in much danger if she did encounter the Virts. Their mission had little to do with her. She didn’t want to think too much about how the beast had killed a bunch of men motivated by a desire for equality and better working conditions, not, as far as she knew, real malice or a craving for power and wealth. Still, someone on their side had burned her castle, so she wasn’t inclined to feel immensely sorry for them. Assassinations also weren’t an acceptable way to work toward one’s goals.

“All right.” Vlerion returned to taking the stairs three at a time.

Kaylina hurried to catch up.

When they pushed open the stone door into a hallway on the ground floor of the castle, it was empty, but shouts and clangs came from the direction of the courtyard.

An animal roared. Was that a taybarri? Maybe the rangers had gotten in and were battling the invaders. Maybe Vlerion and Kaylina wouldn’t be needed.

The smaller booms of muskets rang out from the walls and the courtyard. Another greater boom sounded in the distance. From the harbor?

“They’re attacking from multiple fronts.” Sword in hand, Vlerion ran toward the courtyard. “Or there are ships in the harbor raising a distraction.”

“I thought they were supposed to attack tonight.” Kaylina raced after him, but she was ill-prepared for a battle against men with firearms.

“They may have been testing you by feeding you that information.” He glanced back as he ran.

Yes, if the fire had been a test, the information could have been too. That made sense. Nobody trusted Kaylina. Except maybe Vlerion.

He paused in the doorway leading to the courtyard. Blue fur streaked past not five yards ahead of them.

“Crenoch!” Vlerion called softly, his voice almost drowned out by the boom of a cannon firing from the castle wall.

His mount spun and came back to the doorway. Kaylina peeked under Vlerion’s arm and glimpsed a second taybarri across the courtyard, the great beast biting one of the invaders.

“Is that Levitke?” Kaylina didn’t see any other taybarri or rangers, though numerous castle guards fought intruders both in the courtyard and on the castle wall.

“Yes.” Vlerion swung up onto Crenoch’s back and offered a hand to her.

But a roar came from the other taybarri. After biting and trampling the intruder into the stone pavers, Levitke charged across the courtyard toward Crenoch. No, she was coming toward Kaylina. Their eyes met, and Kaylina somehow grasped that the taybarri was glad to see her and expected Kaylina to ride her.

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