Trial by Fire (Worldwalker 1)

“You may go,” he said, dismissing the shaken soldier, who gladly scurried off.

“I saw her,” Carrick said as he rode forward and pulled alongside Gideon. “Different hair, but it was her.”

“Did any of the other soldiers recognize her?”

Carrick sighed. “Not well enough to swear by it before the Council, I don’t think. The alley was dark.”

“So we still need proof or the Council will never back us.” Gideon waved at the carnage. “Especially not now that they have even more reason to fear Rowan Fall and his ‘new’ witch. How bad was it?”

“He tore through men like they were made of paper,” Carrick replied in his shadowy voice. “I wouldn’t doubt that he could have taken twenty mounted men, or I would have chased him myself.”

Gideon studied his new captain. Carrick’s voice was surprisingly level, but somewhere in his eye was genuine hatred. And maybe even respect.

“Proud of your fellow Outlander?” Gideon guessed.

Carrick looked away and changed the subject. “If you close off the city, there are only so many places Fall can take her,” he said. “There are several Outlander safe houses used for smuggling rebels into Salem.”

“Start with the safe houses, but go easy,” Gideon said approvingly. “I don’t want him to feel hunted. Wherever he takes her, I want them to relax and settle in while we think of a plan and look for the Council’s proof. Will you need bribe money?”

“I may.” Carrick furrowed his brow. “Let me see where they land first. There are plenty of Outlanders who hate the Salem Witch and wouldn’t feel too badly about turning in her double. If for no other reason than to avoid having to deal with two of them.”

Gideon nodded his approval. As Carrick wheeled his horse and galloped off, Gideon wondered if the drub wasn’t getting a bit too smart for his own good.

CHAPTER

11

They raced through the city streets, cutting through alleys, jumping fences, and skirting around the roaring guardians chained to the bottoms of the greentowers.

The neighborhood changed and became more residential, but it wasn’t a nice part of town. Lily thought she recognized this place. They were in the Swallows. Few people were out on the streets. They slowed their pace, still not speaking. Caleb’s head was down, his massive shoulders hunched. He wasn’t even looking where he was going, and Rowan had to lead him. They reached a small building. Tristan entered first, opening the door with a wave of his hand and a flash of magelight.

As Lily entered, she realized it was the safe house with the tunnel beneath it. A plain-faced woman in her mid-twenties met them in the hallway, the question in her eyes turning to alarm when she saw Caleb.

“What happened?” she asked, rushing forward to help.

Lily recognized the woman’s voice from her other trip through the safe house. Mostly, she remembered how possessive the woman had sounded when she’d asked if Rowan had given himself to a new witch. The woman had brown hair and brown eyes, but she wasn’t quite as dark as most of the Outlanders. Lily looked at her willstone and found it uninteresting. Low strength, Lily realized. This woman was not a witch. Lily recalled Nina’s confusion when she’d looked at the rose-colored stone at her neck, and finally understood it. Nina had seen power in Lily that didn’t fit inside the flirty rose-colored stone she wore. Lily snapped herself back into the present moment and tried to smile in a friendly way at the woman who tended the safe house. The smile wasn’t returned.

“City soldiers tried to take Elias into custody,” Tristan replied.

Caleb broke away at the mention of Elias’s name, storming down the hallway. Rowan went after him.

“Elias is dead, and so are four soldiers,” Tristan continued when Caleb was out of earshot. “We need to leave Salem now, Esmeralda.”

“The tunnel’s blocked. There was a cave-in almost a week ago,” Esmeralda replied. “We haven’t been able to clear it because Gideon had his guards put seismic wards all along the perimeter. One little jiggle underground, and the tunnel, the safe house, everything is lost. They’re clamping down, Tristan. Hard.” Esmeralda’s gaze leapt over to Lily. She narrowed her eyes. “Who are you?” she asked in a less-than-friendly way.

“I’m Rowan’s witch,” Lily said bluntly, taking a challenging step toward her.

Esmeralda took a step back, her face blanching. “Lillian,” she whispered fearfully. Too late, Lily remembered that glamours didn’t hold in direct light. She hadn’t meant to scare the woman.

“Not exactly,” Lily replied in a less combative tone. “It’s complicated.”

Lily. Please come.

“Rowan needs me,” Lily said, excusing herself with a polite nod. She left Tristan to explain to Esmeralda as much or as little as he thought prudent, and went after Rowan and Caleb.

She found them in the kitchen. Rowan had Caleb backed into a corner. He was holding out his arms to keep Caleb from running. Caleb’s face was bruised, bleeding, and his eyes wild with grief.

“Lily,” Caleb said. “Claim me.”