The Arcana: Shadow Wars, Codex I

XXV

Through the Portal

In which Edana is surrounded by enemies

Portals always seemed so marvelous and mysterious, and Edana always wondered what it would be like to go through one.

Disorienting.

One blink, a flash of dark, a second blink, and she was now staring down at a different floor from her position over Gallo’s shoulder. Without warning, Gallo shifted her from his shoulder to his arms, making her stomach roil. Fortunately, she managed to keep her food down.

Cradled in Gallo’s arms, Edana’s head lolled slightly, letting her see this new room he had brought her to. Lurid mosaics and frescoes adorned the walls. She shuddered, but she couldn’t wrench herself free of him. All she could do is what he allowed her to do.

Edana felt as if she were immobilized in a gauzy cocoon, one that restrained her limbs, distorted her sight, and blunted her reactions. Worse, her mind seemed to have become unmoored from her body, and only the flimsiest of tethers kept it in reach.

Yet, she could not seem to fly back, and she panicked. Did anyone ever fail to recover from a compulsion? What remedy was possible? What if she always felt this way? Every time she tried to struggle, the ‘cocoon’ tightened.

From far away came a strange, plaintive wail.

“Be quiet,” Gallo snapped. “I said I would hear no more from you.”

An eternity went by before she realized he was talking to her. She had made that wail. Not only because of her helplessness—the imagery adorning the floors and walls unsettled her. What did Gallo intend in bringing her here? Part of her wanted to shut her eyes, to keep her fear in check. However, the other part of her coldly insisted she needed to know where she was, if she were to have a rational hope of escaping.

“Back so soon, Gallo?”

A voice somewhere to the right. The click of hobnails on the mosaics told her the bearer of the voice was rapidly approaching. Or perhaps he had already reached them. She took so long to comprehend everything.

Suddenly, she felt a jolt so strong she bit the inside of her cheek. A naiad stared down at her from a great distance. The naiad wasn’t real. Obviously, because the naiad was on the ceiling, and they liked to live in water. But why was she looking at the ceiling?

Gradually she realized she had landed on something soft and pouffy that made her sink a little. How far would she sink? Oh, not that far. She would only have to struggle a little bit to sit up. Could she make herself do that? No, it was too hard.

While she considered her next move, Gallo loomed over her, along with another man. Who was he? Perhaps the voice had belonged to him?

Gallo glared. The other man smiled down at her.

“A new one? Business or pleasure?”

Rage sparked in her. Images flashed through her mind of her running her blades over their necks. She sank further into the cushions, feeling weaker than she did before.

Save your strength, you fool. For a moment clarity came to her, and she finally understood that the compulsion spell grew stronger every time she tried to resist it. The only way forward was to give in and bide her time.

Gallo turned his glare to the other man, who had lifted her foot, the better to admire her shoe. The leather shoes, a soft sky blue, were a thank-you gift from a client. A nice lady who owned a shoe store, and liked sparkly things. Although, Edana thought she herself liked sparkly things, too.

The toes were covered, protecting her from the elements, with slim straps crisscrossing over her instep. Little gold-in-glass beads decorated the strap, spaced at intervals. The silver buckle of her ankle strap was embossed to resemble a flower, and embellished with a black niello finish.

The man turned her foot in his hands and whistled. He ran a hand along her ankle, and started to further push her dress up when Gallo slapped his hand away. Her leg dropped back onto the cushion.

“Touch her and I’ll nail your hands to the wall. Understood?”

The man looked only mildly abashed, but he winked at Edana and clasped his hands behind his back.

“This little honey could make us a fortune,” the man protested, but he sounded cheerful about it. “Look at the day-cor on her shoe. Her papa’s rich. Bet he’s important. We can send him one piece of clothin’ at a time for the ransom.”

Did he have an accent? Yes, he pronounced ‘decor’ as day-cor. Where had she heard such an accent before?

“That’s not why she’s here. Ready my carriage.”

“Is she going with you?”

Gallo bared his teeth, and the man laughed, and half ran, half stepped back a few feet.

“I’m going, I’m going.” Hobnails on tile clattered as he moved. From his sandals? The man himself became smaller and smaller as he went away, then he disappeared. Soon a door creaked on its hinges, followed by a snick.

Gallo still loomed over her. “Give me any trouble, any trouble at all, and I will turn you over to Gaius. Understand?”

Still disoriented, Edana wanted to nod, but couldn’t move properly. Her heart fluttered when Gallo suddenly brought his face inches from hers. Terror washed over her and she tried to scream, but no sound came out this time, and the ‘cocoon’ constricted her throat as well. Gallo grabbed her neck, forcing her to sit up.

Stars blazed in her eyes.

Gallo had slapped her, she realized. He supported her with one hand, but he’d moved the other from her face to her hair, gripping a handful of it tightly enough that the pain shocked her back to her senses.

“You will behave.”

“I will behave,” Edana repeated dully.

Gallo released her, and she fell back, limply. Her head throbbed, but she felt a wave come over her, a familiar sensation that told her the pain would dim soon.

The cocoon loosened, somewhat. Because of the pain? Or her obedience?

The naiad’s vapid gaze met hers again. A muscle spasmed near Edana’s mouth. Such fanciful ideas Gallo had about the female form! Unable to move, all she could do was stare up at the ceiling.

Bells sounded, and quiet voices followed. Quiet voices followed in turn by Gallo bellowing orders, and then the sound of footsteps receding. For a seeming eternity Edana only heard Gallo puttering about the room. Eventually, she heard hobnails striking tile again. Soon enough Gallo’s friend leered down at her once more.

“Shall I carry her for you? Looks like she was too much for you,” Gaius said, raising Gallo’s hand and fingering the bandage. He shifted his gaze between the bandage and Edana. “You don’t usually have to compel a woman. Not like that, anyway.”

Edana had to smother her irritation. Before going through the portal Gallo cut his hand to refill the vial. To bind the wound he had torn a portion of her favorite shawl, which she always used to wrap around herself and her hair when she went outdoors. The shawl was made from a fine linen, mixed with cotton to give it a pretty sheen. Even better, it was peacock green, which matched her eyes. Hand-painted silver almond blossoms gilded the edge. And the barbaric oaf tore it! For no reason!

Through her childlike annoyance she noticed the cocoon did not tighten. Interesting. So irritation at Gallo did not strengthen the spell, only thoughts of rebellion?

Gallo jerked his hand away. “That’s enough out of you, Gaius.” He seized Edana’s arm and yanked her off the cushions, forcing her to stand. “Your feet work. Keep behind me, or I will leave you here.”

Mindless, placid, Edana followed him through corridors that confirmed her fear he’d brought her to a brothel. No one would look for her in a place like this. How long before the spell wore off?

Someone shouted something, and Gallo replied, “She’s not for sale.”

Instinctively she clenched her shawl tighter about herself. A small part of her exulted, that she was able to execute the act. Was it because she wasn’t rebelling? Or because of the spell’s degradation in power?

Up the stairs they went, and through a lush, expansive courtyard with a swimming pool. They had to zigzag through the tangle of couples cavorting about. Edana stepped only where Gallo stepped, staying close behind him as he had ordered her to.

The cocoon loosened yet a little more.

Finally they were outside, where a huge, windowless carriage awaited them. A slave opened it, and Gallo gestured for her to get inside. She did so, and sat.

Gallo shoved her aside, to make room for himself. Idly, Edana wondered if he realized his rough treatment sped her recovery of her mental faculties. Perhaps if he hit her once more she would be free of the compulsion? How could she get him to do that?

Still, he was sitting closer to her than she liked, and he pinned her in place by sitting on the overspill of her gown. If she regained her will, she wouldn’t have a way to free herself easily without giving him the warning he needed to do the compulsion spell again.

Unless she stabbed him first … no, stabbing him meant his blood outside his body, which would help him, not her. Silly girl!

Something must have shone on her face, because he looked sharply at her, but said nothing.

The carriage started moving. Since the seats didn’t have springs, Edana’s bones learned of every bump along the road. Occasionally, she was jostled into Gallo, who eyed her from time to time.

“Whatever schemes you have, forget them,” he said finally. “No one will look for you here. And you’ve got nowhere to run.”

Oh, but Edana didn’t want to run. Wasn’t he taking her someplace he felt safe? Someplace sure to be bursting with vital intelligence? Where she could wreak effective havoc against him? No, what she needed was an exit plan.

However. Gallo was looking her over, openly assessing her. Her nerves jangled when he suddenly took her hand in his own. Why was he glaring at her hand?

The answer came to her when he rubbed his palm over over the back of her hand. Her skin was smooth, supple. Not chapped and broken. Whereas his skin was rough, scratchy. Ropy veins crisscrossed the back of his hand. Gnarled joints and cracked, blistered palms emphasized a more servile or rough origin for him, and an absence of such for her. All they shared in common were scrupulously clean nails.

In a silky voice he asked, “How many have you killed, I wonder? You were a pampered play-pretty before becoming a spy, weren’t you? What changed?”

The question confused her. Hadn’t the Red Daggers investigated her? Once the Red Daggers began looking for her, they should have had a ridiculously easy time finding out about her and her life. After all she was no recluse, and she never expected to have such men on her trail.

“The giants,” Edana answered. It was true, and top of mind. Lying was not an option, not in her state.

“So? Why do you care if they’re here or not? Why should it make a difference to you?”

“What a stupid question.”

Inwardly she groaned, and the cocoon tightened once more.

Interesting, a small voice in the back of her mind observed.

Without any self control she reverted to an impudent child. Until now she had no idea how much of her speech she filtered. And to think, she used to chide herself for bluntness.

Whatever you do, don’t be yourself, her inner mind exhorted.

Gallo’s jaw worked, and his free hand twitched, but he refrained from hitting her. With his other hand he tightened his grip on hers, barely enough to discomfit her.

“It is the question I asked you,” he said softly. “It is the question you will answer.”

“They kill innocent people.”

He threw his head back and laughed so hard his shoulders shook. “That’s all? People are killed every day. You don’t become an arcana over something silly like that. There’s more.” His voice hardened.

She sifted through answers, allowing one to come to the forefront. This one she rolled over and over in her mind because it was true, but also it was safe.

“Tell me why.” He squeezed her hand. Not enough to make her cry out or wince, but enough to ensure he had her attention.

Papa’s face floated into her mind, and for only a moment Edana felt safe, in a way that she hadn’t felt since before she lost him.

“I can wish for a different life, or I can make life safe for those who cannot fight, and win against those who mean them harm,” she said, her voice sounding dreamy and far off even to herself.

Gallo sighed, but Edana’s confusion deepened. Why didn’t he want to know about Lady Nensela, or the Star Dragons, or their plans? Why didn’t he want to know how much she knew about the giants? Damn his spell, she had so many questions for him to answer.

Apparently the interrogation was over, for he asked nothing more of her. Although, from time to time he stared sidelong at her.

Edana bided her time, gingerly probing the ‘cocoon.’ Her earlier efforts to resist had strengthened the spell enough that even now she could not dare to directly cross him. While her thoughts were becoming clearer, her mind was still slow. More, she had just supplied herself with proof that she couldn’t be trusted not to say the wrong thing.

Somehow, she had to speed the process of regaining her free will. Whatever Gallo intended, she could not afford to be helpless when he did it.

The light outside had grown dim by the time the carriage stopped moving. Gallo got out, and shut the door firmly, leaving Edana alone. Before she had time to properly speculate as to his intentions, the door opened again, and he once again joined her in the carriage. The carriage began moving again, but not for very long.

When they halted, Gallo turned to her and reminded her that she must obey him.

“No matter what anyone asks, don’t answer unless I tell you to speak. Understand?”

“Yes,” she replied.

He looked her over, as if checking for some sign of rebellion. He started to say something, but broke off when the carriage door opened.

Gaius stood there, backlit by waning sunlight.

At Gallo’s command Edana followed him out of the carriage. They were standing in the midst of a courtyard paved with red tiles, which looked especially red now that the sun was setting. Which meant it was about eight hours past noon. Five hours in captivity…

A stately carriage was parked next to Gallo’s. Bright though it was, it wasn’t the red paint that arrested her attention.

Emblazoned on the carriage was a seal. Six circles formed a hexagon around one circle in the middle. The top left circle caught her eye: inside it was a portrait of a black horse with flames coming out of its mouth.

The Morvarc’h.

Edana’s heart pounded. At the Rhabdo she was certain she had seen the fire stallion before. Now, at last, memory clicked into place and an icy dagger pierced her heart.

Amelu.

A carriage parked on the street where she and Amelu were ambushed had born that same six-around-one seal.

Shock rocked her to her core, but Edana’s rational mind quickly took over. She carefully studied the other portraits in the circles: a kraken, a winged tiger, a sea dragon, a sphinx. And three stars arranged in a downward diagonal, with trailing lines to suggest they were moving at speed. Falling stars?

The central circle bore six lines. At first she thought the lines were meant to represent “wind,” for the rightward tail of each line curved. Then she realized that each curve curled under the line. Not like a wave—like a claw. She was seeing individual claws, arranged in a circular pattern. What was this?

What did all of this mean?

Gallo jerked her arm, and she stumbled a little as she tried to keep pace with him. They approached a set of tall double doors studded with dark bronze nails. Before they reached it, the doors swung open and revealed two guards with drawn swords. The gold-plated trim of their black leather armor would have seemed impressive, but for the fact that Edana had already seen Lady Aelia’s Drakon Guard.

Nor was their charge as impressive as Lady Aelia, Edana judged.

The guards flanked a woman who stood shorter than Edana by a good foot; sepia curls piled high on her head added inches to her height. Had her expression not been so stony, the ringlets framing her face might have softened her angular features.

Her white silk chiton sported a plunging neckline, deeper than Edana would ever willingly wear in public, but to little purpose, showing off only a walnut-sized sapphire dangling from an elaborate net of jet beads. Pearls and jet studded the belt cinched just below the woman’s sparse bustline, allowing her gown to hug her scant figure a little more than it otherwise would.

“What are you doing here, Gallo?”

“Good to see you, too, Honoria,” Gallo replied, with a sweep of his arm and a dip of his head.

Edana’s heart skipped a beat. The woman had to be HV, Honoria Vartanian … who lived in Karnassus, a three month’s journey east of Kyanopolis by land. Two weeks by sea.

Oh, Speaker help me, please.

Would Ziri be able to scry for her so far away?

“I have come to prevail upon your”—Gallo glanced at Edana—“your hospitality. I’m sure you can spare the room.”

Honoria’s gaze slid over to Edana, sweeping over her without seeing her. “A room large enough for you and your courtesan, no doubt.”

Gallo glanced at Edana and caught her eye, ensuring she did not miss his smirk. Impassive, Edana focused on what Honoria was telling her, however unwittingly: she was either not a Sleepless Enemy, or if she was then Gallo was not aware of it. The man could not be stupid, let alone stupid enough to try and deceive a fellshade.

Unless…did the Red Daggers not employ women in their ranks? The Star Dragons employed courtesans as spies, an obvious choice for certain missions. The only outlaws she’d seen in the Red Dagger fortress were men. Perhaps that was why Gallo wasn’t worried Honoria would think Edana was an arcana. Let alone his prisoner.

“If you please,” Gallo replied. “My guard will ensure she’s no trouble to you. Why, we will observe discretion, and not have her leave your home. In fact, she won’t leave my quarters, and will be so quiet your other guests won’t know she’s here.”

Not even a lie, Edana noted. An evasion. Well, Gallo was fleeing Murena; and he had run to Honoria to accomplish that goal. That had to count against her being a Sleepless Enemy.

It had to.

Unless Gallo didn’t know what she was…

Edana studied Honoria’s face, watching her reaction. Would Honoria catch that the terms he’d used for Edana’s stay mirrored those of a captive? Or had Gallo successfully deceived her?

Which option was in Edana’s best interest?

Honoria cocked her head and pursed her lips. “Your quarters. So you think I will allow you a place here. Once again I ask, why have you come? I did not send for you.”

“You would have. But I don’t think you wish this to be explained in the open.”

“There is no one in this household who will carry tales about what I say, or what is said to me. I wonder that you should even dare to imply otherwise.”

In response, Gallo allowed his eyes to rest on Gaius, who had watched the proceedings with a faint smile of amusement.

“Do you not control your own men?”

Gallo’s grip tightened on Edana’s arm. Edana’s lips twitched, the only sign of her suppressed laughter. Having three different women in one day question his ability to control his men was probably a record for him.

“What I think is you’re smart enough not to openly speak of our business in front of anyone who doesn’t need to know it.”

The answer earned him a long, hard stare. “Come.”

Inside the house Honoria snapped orders to her slaves. The servants led them upstairs, and through a series of corridors until they finally came to a set of double doors. One slave preceded them inside, and presented the room to them with a flourish of his arm.

“Everything you need is here,” the manservant assured them. He glanced at Honoria, who wasn’t even looking at them. She leaned against the door frame, tapping a staccato beat against her elbow all the while.

The manservant cast a dubious eye over Gallo’s small trunk, glancing from the trunk to Edana. “Does the lady have more baggage arriving?”

“Whatever is here will suit her fine,” Gallo said with a tight smile.

Gaius piped up, “We left in a hurry.”

“Enough,” Honoria cut in. “Your wardrobe is your own problem. Come with me. Now.”

Edana’s heart pounded. If she could escape, she might be able to reach Keziah’s brother, Isaac, at the Karnassus Gate. Unfortunately, Gallo kept a firm hand on her arm, and she winced as he tightened his grip.

“In a moment,” he said.

When Honoria remained in the doorway he added, “Alone, please.”

The manservant immediately made way for the door, but Honoria refused to budge without giving Gallo one last glare. She shut the door with more force than necessary.

Gallo jerked Edana’s arm, leading her into another of the rooms in the suite. Fading sunlight poured through the windows, casting a warm glow against the chairs and cushions arranged for lounging about the room.

“Sit,” Gallo commanded, indicating a comfortable set of cushions propped up against a column.

Gaius had already pulled the rope from his bag, which he now used to bind Edana to the column. When Gallo was satisfied that she could not escape, he retrieved the key from the lock in the door, pocketing it for himself. Gaius lingered, but Gallo shooed him out. As he shut the door, Gallo instructed Gaius to tell the servants “my lady is resting,” and should not be disturbed.

Several of the small windows in the spacious room were at an accessible height. Easily breakable windows, she hoped, as the heavy door was unlikely to yield to any strikes she might make against it.

With an impatient sigh Edana noted the so-called cocoon of the compulsion spell seemed fairly loose now, but she could still feel its effects. Should she give it another hour?

Did she have another hour?

And what would Bessa think if she knew about this? Edana’s stomach clenched as a pang of guilt came over her. If she were fortunate, Bessa wouldn’t find out about Edana’s abduction until Ziri had a chance to scry for her.

Her reverie was interrupted by a gurgling sound. With a start she remembered she hadn’t bothered with the meal at Fanuco’s. Which meant she hadn’t eaten anything since the fruit and cheese at breakfast.

“Move,” she whispered.

Several heartbeats went by, but the cocoon did not reassert itself. Her heart did a somersault, and she allowed herself a small smile. If she could talk without a direct order commanding her to, maybe she could get free, too.

Now she studied the ropes. Not enough slack for her to reach her knives and safely unsheathe them. Which was just as well, as Gaius was clomping about in the next room. Revealing she had a weapon before she secured her situation would be unwise, especially as she didn’t know if Gaius was a sorcerer.

Instead, she wriggled around on the cushions. Part of one cushion was between her back and the column. Lowering it would give her the necessary slack.

Bit by bit she managed to flatten the cushion. So far, the spell did not interfere with her movements, but how would it react to her directly defying Gallo’s will?

She didn’t have time to find out.

Click-clacking sounds at the door was all the warning she had before it swung open. Gaius stood in the doorway, holding some sort of metal stick that he must have used to pick the lock. Again with the smug smile, this time accompanied by a pose he struck before strolling over to loom over her yet again.

“So how’s your day been?”

What was he up to?

“I’ve been having a good day myself,” he said, plopping down next to her. “Crossed everything off my to-do list today. And you? Believe it or not, you’re having a good day, too. Seriously let’s go over the facts here.”

He used his fingers to tick off each point. “First, you apparently managed to frighten Gallo, or piss him off somehow, without him killing you. Pat yourself on the back for that. Second, Gallo had to use a compulsion spell on you, which means you had to come pretty damn close to killing him. That spell is like a dagger he keeps up his sleeve, you know? ‘Think you got me? Surprise!’ But he don’t have a scratch on him, and you don’t have a scratch on you, so that means you didn’t try to fight him. You know what that tells me?”

She arched an eyebrow. He sniggered and patted her hand.

“Tells me that you must be pretty important. Especially since he brought you allll the way over here, and he doesn’t even like Little Miss Sweet Thing. And let’s see, what else? Ah yes, now we come to point three: no ransom. Like, you’re obviously ransomable, but he’s not asking for one. Also if you don’t mind me saying so, he doesn’t act like you’re his woman, either. That makes you a mystery, Lady Green Eyes. What would make Gallo want to hold you prisoner, and why couldn’t he just smack you around a bit to do it?”

When she didn’t respond he prodded her. “Come on. You can tell me. Go ahead, tell me.”

Edana ignored him. The lackey was highly unlikely to untie her. Therefore, he was of no use to her. How to get him out of the room? No—she did have one use for him.

“Does not one wolf know another of its kind? If Gallo does not trust you, why should I?”

The cocoon remained slack. The icy pit in her stomach melted, just a little. Per Gallo’s order she couldn’t answer questions unless he gave her leave to do so. Refusing to answer Gaius’s questions meant she was obeying Gallo, and thus the spell allowed her the freedom to defy Gaius.

Gaius sucked his teeth, but she remained silent. “Come on now, you don’t exactly hold the whip hand here, girl.”

“That makes two of us. As you noted, Gallo has taken care with me. Injure me, and you will answer to your master for it. Unless you have a way to escape this house? A place you can go where Gallo cannot find you?”

The question apparently confused him, because he furrowed his brow. In turn, Edana hid her impatience. How could she get rid of this pest?

Gaius tried again, “Won’t you be here a while, My Lady Green Eyes? Won’t you need friends in the meantime?”

Perhaps, but what she really needed was to get out of this—

Bang!

Startled, Edana and Gaius both jumped.

Honoria stood in the doorway. New cracks in the wall radiated from the spot where the door knob slammed into it. At first, Edana was relieved Gallo had not returned, but Honoria’s scowl killed her hopes before they bloomed.

“Give it a rest, lackey. No one is stupid enough to trust you.” Honoria snapped her fingers, and Gaius rose. She strode into the room, and Gaius passed her without a word, stopping only to linger in the doorway. A slight turn of her head and he closed the door—not firmly, Edana noticed, but Honoria did not look back to check. All of her attention was fixed on Edana.

For several heartbeats the woman stared silently, as if to let Edana’s terror grow. Then, she skinned her lips back from her teeth in a ghastly parody of a smile.

“The poor little orphan girl,” Honoria spat. “So clever. So ambitious. Valentis would have been ours had you not been so determined to exalt yourself. Congratulations, Little Nobody: you’ve exalted yourself right into being worthy of our personal attention. Do you feel honored?”

Honoria’s mocking laugh resonated, jarring Edana’s nerves so much that she clenched her teeth. The icy pit in her stomach yawned wider, becoming a canyon as the realization hit her: Honoria knew who she was.

Something must have shown on her face, because Honoria’s lips twitched.

“Did you think me ignorant? I wonder that Gallo thought to conceal your identity from me. Does he think we do not have eyes everywhere?” Her smile vanished, and she resumed her slit-eyed, thin-lipped glare. “I told Escamilla he should see to you personally, since Valentis was his responsibility. All of that work we put into it—the city, the legions, the emperor—all of them we had good and trussed, and salted, and ready for the knife. We were ready! Then you came along, with your silver. Escamilla claimed he would punish you fitly, but the fool sent ruffians instead. You live,” she groused. “At least I was assured the Star Dragon died in agony. Did he?”

As always, Edana flinched from the memory of Amelu’s death. Every night she struggled to stave off remembrance of what became of him…

Kill me. Please.

He’d begged that of her. To help him die as a man. Not the…thing…he was becoming. The Red Daggers, as they learned too late, coated their knives in a strange and insidious poison.

The icy terror that had been building inside her evaporated now in a conflagration of guilt, horror, and rage. Honoria’s lips quivered in a gloating smile.

“Now the emperor has become so … interfering. Exiling, retiring, executing all the wrong people. Undoing Gagnon’s clever, clever knots. All thanks to you and that Siluran. I would not make too much of that, my sweet. Everything you did will be in vain. No longer will you interfere in our plans. No, you will serve them. And to think, that fool Gallo delivered you straight into my hands. Ah, I see by your face that you know better than Gallo, don’t you? You know what I am.”

She touched an index finger to the ropes binding Edana, and slashed down. The ropes collapsed around Edana, broken in half and perfectly cauterized. Time stood still as Edana’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.

Honoria’s face was only inches from hers. Close enough to feel her hot breath, which suggested she was indeed an eidolon, a fellshade in possession of a living host. The fiend stared at Edana as though Edana were a coveted doll, one belonging to a hated sister. A doll she would break out of sheer spite.

“Let us be clear,” she said. “Only Gallo needs you alive. I do not.”

Edana did not even attempt to move. Honoria was far too close to her, too close to risk discovery of what a fiend’s reflexes were like.

Or even if she were truly made of mortal flesh.

Besides this, Honoria was still speaking. Surely death were not imminent if Honoria was taking the time to yammer at her? More likely she wanted to frighten Edana—she succeeded—but she was not going to kill her.

Not yet.

“… tell me,” Honoria was saying.

Edana kept her expression rigid. Lying was impossible; to lie to a fellshade was folly, was it not? Silence was her only refuge now.

How long could she stall?

“Didn’t you say you could see everything? Why ask me questions?”

She had steeled herself for the expected blow. To her surprise, Honoria simply straightened up and pivoted on her heel to face the door. Please, by the Speaker let her leave!

But Honoria made no further move to the door. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder at Edana. She opened her mouth, and an unnerving trilling sound filled the room.

The sounds echoed for a bit against the marble walls. Edana drew her knees up to her chin, hugging herself.

Silence filled the room now. But it felt different. The air became sultry, oppressive, and Edana caught a cloying scent, tolerable at first, but growing stronger moment by moment until she was forced to cover her nose and mouth.

She was so busy focusing on Honoria that she did not see what else was happening until she felt a waft of air to her right, and movement out of the corner of her eye on her left. Edana turned then.

She screamed.