Princeps' Fury (Codex Alera 5)

Crassus pushed himself up, and swung his legs down off the cot.

"Hey," Foss snapped. "You can't do that. Lie down before you tear those wounds open again."

Crassus shook his head. "I've got to go with them."

"The crows you do," Foss replied. "Lie down. That's an order."

Magnus lifted a hand to forestall the healer. "Crassus is right, Foss. Our Knights Aeris have only a vague idea of where the city is, much less where the Princeps is located within it. And I daresay, they cannot fly as well concealed as the boy was. They'll need to take a route that leads them around the Vord in the interior."

Crassus nodded to Foss. "If they go without me, there's no guarantee that they'll even reach the Princeps, much less find him and get him out in one piece."

Foss shook his head. "If you go haring off right now, flying and fighting like you haven't a care in the world, you're going to rip open those wounds." The big healer moved to the side of the cot, put a hand on Crassus's shoulder, and looked the young man in the eyes. "Do you hear me? If you don't rest now, you are likely going to die."

"Yes," Crassus said, his voice calm and utterly weary. "Where is my armor?"

Chapter 24

Tavi sat with his feet dangling over the edge of Lararl's tower and watched the ongoing battle below. Farther along the tower's roof, Varg and Durias sat together, also watching, speaking quietly to one another. The next day had dawned cold but clear, and without the constant chill of the rain and sleet, the rooftop was bearable, given short breaks inside the warmth offered by the earthcrafted shelter.

Tavi could only admire the effectiveness and efficiency of the Shuarans' defense against the Vord, against an enemy so vast that he literally could not readily number them, despite a clear day and hours of trying. A few hours ago, it had occurred to him that it was more like watching the sea surge forward than observing an enemy army in action. The Shuarans stood defiantly against that tide, and wave after wave broke upon the granite of their determination.

Tavi shivered. It had not been a pleasant realization.

Though the mountain might stand for a while, the sea would eventually wear it away.

In the end, the sea always won.

Maximus approached, his bootsteps distinctive on the stone roof. Tavi glanced back and saw Max's shadow puddled against his feet. Noon.

"Two days. He should have been back by yesterday evening," Max said quietly. "We should have heard from him or seen something."

"There's no need to panic yet," Tavi said calmly. "There might have been a delay on the other end, something that required his help. Or he might be out there, waiting for nightfall before making the run in."

"He'd have found a spot in line of sight, and windcrafted his voice to you," Max disagreed.

Privately, Tavi had begun to think along the same lines, but there was no point in deepening Maximus's concern for his brother by agreeing with him. Besides which, it was not as though they had a great many options, short of attempting to smash their way clear of Shuar. That wouldn't go well, at least not for long. It was a simple question of numbers.

"Be patient, Max," Tavi said. "I know it's difficult for you when there's nothing around to smash or flirt with, but I'd take it as a favor."

Max grunted and set one of his boots lightly against the back of Tavi's armor and mimed a faint push. "Would you care for a flying lesson, Your Highness? Though in all fairness, I should warn you that it might give the lie to your honorific."

Tavi looked back over his shoulder and grinned at his friend. Max settled down on the edge of the roof with him and watched the fight.

"They can't win this," Max said quietly.

"I know that," Tavi said. "They know it, too. A lot of them won't admit it to themselves, but they know."

"The Vord aren't going to stop here," Max said. "Are they?"

"No," Tavi said. "Alera was fortunate and decisive enough to smash them when they were weakest. We established ourselves as the primary threat to them. So they came here to where they would have more opportunity to spread and reproduce. They won't make the same mistake twice."

"Bloody crows," Max sighed. "I thought you would say something like that." He jerked his chin at the vast force of nightmarish Vord. "We couldn't stop that. Not with all the Legions in Alera, and every crafter to boot."

"Not with standard tactics, no," Tavi said.

Max grunted. "You have something in mind?"

Tavi smiled slightly. It was a better answer than "I have no idea how we'll survive this," without actually crossing the line into speaking a falsehood to his friend.

Max eyed him for a moment, then nodded, his big frame relaxing visibly. "Fine," he said. "Be that way."

"Thank you," Tavi replied. "I will."

Max was quiet for a moment more, watching the battle. "Seems a shame. Great furies, the Canim have guts."

"That wasn't exactly unexpected. Not after what the Narashans did to us."

Max waved a hand. "Even so."

Tavi nodded. "I know what you mean."

"Is there anything that can be done for them?"

Tavi shook his head. "I don't think so. Not given their attitude toward us. Lararl is determined to hold out, and enough of his people believe it's possible to enable him to keep his position of authority."

"I suppose," Max answered. "I'm not sure our people would act any differently. Most of the High Lords would die fighting rather than be driven from their lands."

"We'll see. And before too long."

The words had a sobering effect upon Tavi's friend. He was quiet for several more moments.

"What do we do about Crassus?" Max asked.

"We wait," Tavi replied. "For now. If he hasn't made contact by this evening, we'll consider our alternatives."

"He's all right," Max said. "He's faster than a hungry crow, and bloody near impossible to see while he's flying. He's fine."

Of course, if that was true, where was Crassus? Again, Tavi refrained from speaking his mind. "I haven't seen anything here that could present a real threat to him."

Max nodded, then sighed. "Maybe old Magnus is up to something. Holding him back for some reason."

"Maybe."

Max growled and rose to his feet, pacing restlessly. "I just can't stomach waiting around and doing nothing."

Tavi reached into one of the leather pouches on his belt and produced a stick of charcoal and several folded pieces of parchment. "Here," he said. "Take these and draw a map of the city. Every building you can see from up here. It might come in handy if we need to walk out for some reason."