Page 125 of Heir

“An Adah oath is no small thing. Why save her?” J’yan leaned forward, and Quil realized then that it wasn’t jealousy he was sensing fromthe man. It was fear. “Her other oath coin—to hunt this creature—is it you she made that ridiculous bargain with? You know what will happen if—”

Below, branches and twigs snapped. The Kegari pilot wasn’t bothering to hide her approach. She emerged into the clearing, as heavily armed as the monsters who’d rained down the hells on Navium.

“Angh ot ma?”

Sirsha shook her head. “I speak Ankanese,” she said.

The pilot nodded. “Greetings,” she said to Sirsha. “May I join your fire?”

Sirsha nodded, and the woman folded her legs beneath her, holding her hands up to the flames.

“A lot of meat for one girl.”

“My family will join me this evening,” Sirsha said.

“A party, then.” The Kegari woman smiled widely, revealing a mouth of rotting teeth. There was no joy in that smile—only a tired sort of bitterness. Something flashed in her hand—a whistle. She blew one long note.

In moments, another Sail appeared. And another. Until a small squadron of them spun down like circling crows.

Sirsha, to her credit, looked only mildly interested as eight more Kegari—all heavily armed—joined their compatriot in the clearing.

“We do love a party,” the first woman said as the others gathered behind her. “Don’t worry, girl. We’ll make sure to leave a bit for your family.”

One of the others chortled. Sirsha only smiled.

“From where do you travel?”

“Jaduna,” Sirsha said. The Kegari exchanged glances. But instead of wariness, some other emotion passed between them. “I have a job in Farth.”

“A Jaduna headed to the Thafwan capital,” the woman said. “Fascinating. You know, we heard the most interesting story, up in Jibaut, didn’t we?”

A few of the other Kegari rumbled their agreement.

“We heard there’s a Jaduna traveling with—if you can believe it—a Martial prince. You wouldn’t know anything about that?”

Sirsha shrugged. “You see any princes around here?”

“No,” the Kegari woman said. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t know of any.”

Two of the Kegari circled behind Sirsha, a big blond man and a dona’i, the latter pulling a whip from their belt. All the Kegari here were pilots, so they’d all be able to harness the wind—but Quil didn’t know how strong they were. He drew his weapons, nodding to J’yan. Then he took a breath and let the thin, light throwing knives fly. The first took the blond down, the second sank into the gut of the dona’i. The third met a wall of wind, which would have knocked Quil back, but J’yan quelled it so Quil could get to Sirsha.

He wasn’t far—a matter of seconds. But this was the risk, because in the time it took him and J’yan to get there, Sirsha had to stay alive.

Quil burst into the clearing, blades out, tearing through a Kegari woman coming at him, knocking away the arrows flying from the pilots who’d fled toward the woods. It was easy, infuriatingly easy.Thesewere the great warriors who’d brought the Empire to its knees? Quil wished he could tell his aunt right now that without their Sails and bombs and their damned liquid metal, the Kegari were nothing.

Sirsha cried out in warning. “Quil!”

A heavy body slammed into his back, knocking the air out of him. He almost laughed, for he was eight when Elias had trained him to roll away from a blow, to move while he caught his breath. Quil was on his feet moments later, his fist flying into the face of the man who’d attackedhim, knocking him to his knees. A moment later, Sirsha had buried a blade in the attacker’s back.

The clearing was quieter now, the only sounds Sirsha’s and Quil’s heavy breaths, the pop of the fire, and the moans of the Kegari who lay on the ground dying.

A scream echoed from the woods—and was abruptly cut off.

R’zwana emerged a few seconds later, dragging a limp Kegari man by his hair, frowning in disgust. J’yan appeared from where he’d hidden with Quil, looking dispassionately at the bodies scattered around him.

“This one will talk.” R’zwana tied up her prisoner. “J’yan, wake him up.”

“That’s it?” Quil said, and looked over R’zwana’s shoulder, hoping he’d counted wrong. “You were supposed to grab two.”

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