Empress of Dorsa (The Chronicles of Dorsa)

77

~ MEGS ~

Bong-bong, bong-bong.

Megs made her fingers move faster over Akella’s wounds. Behind her, Linna was barking orders at the sailors, which was only half working because they kept glancing down at Akella for confirmation.

A petite Terintan woman, barely out of her teens and wearing scuffed but still rich black Imperial armor, giving orders to veteran Adessian pirates. They weren’t going to listen to a word she said. At least, not until they saw her fight – and by then, the listening would come too late.

“Akella,” Megs said in a low voice. Akella’s eyes, which had become worryingly glassy again, refocused on Megs with effort. When Megs was sure she was listening again, she said, “Tell your sailors to listen to her.”

Akella swallowed and nodded weakly.

Too much blood,Megs thought. She’s lost way too much blood. And that head wound… Gods, what did they do to her?

Akella was visibly paler now than when they’d first found her, and even as Megs worked feverishly to stop her bleeding, her skin had grown cool to the touch. Something was broken in Akella, something inside where Megs couldn’t fix it. Akella might yet recover – might – but first she had to survive the fight descending upon them.

“The Terintan girl’s in charge, boys,” Akella said, voice cracking on the last word as she tried to raise her volume to something appropriately commanding. “I know she looks like a slip of a thing, but she’d put most Fesulian gladiators in their place, given two minutes.”

“Rizalt –” one man started.

“The rest of them, she’d defeat within five minutes,” Akella continued, ignoring him. “On Preyla’s name I promise it’s true, so don’t look at me like that, Dez.” She threw in a wink for good measure, a wink Megs guessed was meant for Linna.

The men glanced from their rizalt to Linna, hesitating. But then a few of them nodded, and that seemed to settle things.

“Aye, Rizalt,” one of them said belatedly.

“Is there any way inside besides the door?” Linna asked.

“The window,” said the one Akella had called Raffin. “There’s a window in the dormitory – that’s how the Rizalt got in.”

“All right,” Linna said. “Barricade the door, barricade the window.” She looked from face to face. “We only have three rune-marked daggers between us. I’ll have one, Megs will have one. Which of you is the best fighter?”

All eyes rested on the big man in the center. Dezmond.

Linna tossed a dagger towards the big man without warning, but he snatched it hilt-first from the air with a fluid grace men his size didn’t always possess. Linna nodded her satisfaction, and only then did Megs realize the toss had been a test.

“You only need to break the skin, understand? Don’t waste time with a killing blow,” Linna said to Dez. “Go to the window and take six men with you. The rest of you will stay here on the door with Megs and me.”

“What about the children?” one of the sailors asked.

“None of us are anything but livestock to them, including our daughters,” said another. “They’ll cut the girls down if they get in the way.”

Other men murmured in agreement.

Linna hesitated, and Megs knew her friend well enough to guess what she was thinking.

We can’t protect them all,Linna wanted to say, and they aren’t why we’re here.

Linna might be a better fighter than Megs, but Megs understood how to command men and women in a way that Linna hadn’t yet learned.

“You,” Megs said, pointing to a sailor at random. “Take the children and hide them within your cells. Tell them not to come out for anyone but one of us.”

“I’m not sure if they will listen,” the man said in a heavy Adessian accent. “They see the sorceresses as their mothers; we are no better than wet nurses.”

“Then make them listen,” Megs said.

The man jogged off towards the dormitory, calling names as he went. Strange that he didn’t remember most of the past six years, yet he seemed to know the name of every child in the building.

A hand gripped her arm. Megs looked down to find Akella staring at her fervently. “Whatever happens tonight, you must get those girls away from here and take them to the Islands. Even if they are all that remains of us.”

“Take them yourself,” Megs retorted. “We’re all leaving this place together.”

Megs started to stand, but Akella pulled her back down. “Swear it to me. Swear on the name of your Mother Moon – no, swear on Milton’s name. Promise me you will protect them.”

“All right. I swear on my brother’s name, I’ll see those girls to the Adessian Islands,” Megs said. “But it’s a pointless oath, since you’ll be there to do it yourself.”

Akella nodded but didn’t let go. “Help me up.”

“You’re in no condition to –”

Akella used Megs’s arm to haul herself to her feet, grimacing as she did.

“– stand,” Megs finished wryly.

Akella leaned heavily against the wall behind her, as if it was the only thing keeping her from collapsing again. It probably was.

“Hand me my sword?” Akella said, extending a hand with a wince. “I’d pick it up myself, but I think if bend down for it, I won’t get back up again.”

“What are you going to do with a sword if you can’t even stand up?”

“I’ll use it as a cane.”

“A short sword?”

“I’m hunched over anyway, aren’t I?” Akella said with a one-shouldered shrug.

“You’re stubborn as an old donkey.”

Akella winked. “But far better looking, don’t you think?”

Megs snorted. She’d missed this, the banter with Akella that had always come so easily to them. But as she stooped to collect the sword, she found her eyes swimming with unexpected tears. Milton. Azza. Zandra. Rom. Ryland and Reece and Wymer and both Big Seth and Little Seth. This war had taken so many people from her, and now it seemed it would take Akella, too. For the second time. Megs was so tired of death, of having to be strong and carry on while those around her fell. Why was she still alive after all these years, and they weren’t? It wasn’t as if she was the better warrior.

Megs straightened, forcing the tears away as she handed the sword to Akella.

Akella glanced from Megs to the sword, frowning. “You were right. It is too short for a cane,” she rasped. “Guess I’ll have to fight after all.”

“You can’t, you idiot. You’ll be a liability.”

Something pounded hard on the door.

“They’re here,” Linna said.

“Akella –” Megs started.

“Convince me afterwards,” Akella said, and she took a lurching step in Linna’s direction. “We’re about to be too busy to argue.”