The Deceiver's Heart (The Traitor's Game 2)

tear rolled down my cheek, pairing the image of her mother with the cries of my mother. I knew exactly how awful that must have been, because I knew how awful it was for me too.

She sniffed, getting my attention. “I don’t know who you lost, but whoever it was—”

“My mother too,” I said, barely above a whisper.

Without another word, Harlyn drew me into her arms. After an awkward few seconds, I folded my arms around her too, accepting the healing she was attempting to offer. She let me grieve there, let me feel selfish and weak and foolish while silently communicating an understanding that if I was any of those things, what happened to my mother still wasn’t my fault.

I wasn’t sure how long we remained that way, only that at some point, it wasn’t a hug of comfort or compassion. Her fingers combed through the back of my hair, stirring me up inside, her touch filling holes that had been punched through me over the last couple of days. I tightened my arms and pressed my hands into her back, aware of how very close she was, her dark hair against my cheek, her breath on my neck. And I still hadn’t let her go.

She pulled away first, but only enough to stand face-to-face with me. With her thumb, she brushed a stray tear from my cheek and left her hand there.

I’d needed someone to understand my loss. But at some point, the hug that I’d needed had become an embrace that a part of me wanted. And not just an embrace.

What if Harlyn and I—

“You need to rest, Simon.” Harlyn led me to a chair in the corner, sitting close beside me with her arms around my shoulders for comfort. No sooner had I settled in than I was asleep, awakening what felt like minutes later to the sound of a screech overhead. It was lighter outside, so a few hours must have passed, but Harlyn was at the window now and I leapt to my feet to join her. There we saw a giant condor flying overhead, a black shadow against the early morning sky. Its rider would seek out any signs of life, and if found, would use a shoulder cannon to rain the Dominion’s fire pellets over the city. Though small, if they dropped enough of them, the shop where Harlyn and I were hiding would be flattened within seconds.

With a swooshing sound, a net flew out from the clock tower in the town square. It wasn’t a direct hit, but a corner caught hold of the condor’s wing, which began tilting, as if attempting to shake off the net. It tilted hard enough at one point that it dropped its rider, then flew away.

Harlyn winked at me. “We have nothing like Brillian technology or Endrick’s magic, but never say the Halderians can’t make the best glue in the region.”

More condors were coming. From his position in the tower, Basil hit the second one directly, a riderless bird which sharply nose-dived. He hit the third as well, though by now, the others seemed to know he was in there. They began circling over the tower, higher than Basil could reach with his nets, if he even knew they were there.

“Get out,” I mumbled beneath my breath. Did Basil understand he was being targeted?

Whether he did or not, the largest condor suddenly angled toward the tower. At the last moment, it dropped downward and the rider launched fire pellets into the open tower windows. Seconds later, the entire tower exploded, crumpling like it was made of twigs. My breath caught in my throat. If Basil was anywhere inside that tower, he could not have survived.

That’s when I heard the first call of the oropods, their screeches and cries as they fell into the underground river. It was followed by the shouts of other riders to stay off the dirt. I also recognized angry growls that must have come from carnoxen falling into the holes and becoming trapped midway.

But it was only minutes later when those that had survived flooded the street directly ahead of us. Harlyn emptied her disk bow as they approached, though it took multiple disks to bring down any single carnox. When more kept coming, I withdrew my sword, then said to Harlyn. “I’m going out there.”

“Me too.” Harlyn withdrew a thinner blade from a sheath at her side. “I’m with you, Simon.”

My smile at her was grim, but there was no time for anything more before beasts began entering the square.

Once outside, I first engaged an oropod that had been charging directly at me, stabbing it from the front, then pulling it down by the reins. The rider leapt to his feet, but Harlyn caught him from behind. When he fell, she smiled at me, though her grin immediately dropped as a new sound entered the square.

“Carnoxen!” Harlyn cried.

At least twenty of the beasts streamed toward us, most of them stampeding for the city’s rear gates, but a few had noticed us. Trina had described them well, though she had failed to mention their thick dark fur from their shoulders to the tail. That would make it harder to know where to aim.

“Stay near me,” I called to Harlyn. I raised my sword at the beast, but the blade merely grazed it across the shoulder. Its flesh was more than leathery; it was like stone. The carnox turned on me, baring its teeth, but Harlyn caught it from the side, stabbing it from above, at the back of its neck. It howled with a gravelly cry, then fell dead.

“There’re too many!” Harlyn cried as she was nearly overrun by another incoming horde of animals.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the shop, hoping we hadn’t been seen by any riders. I didn’t think so, but Harlyn and I still stood with our backs against the door to hold it closed, in the event anyone tried to get in.

Gradually, the noise outside faded away, the danger passing by. Harlyn rolled toward me, keeping one shoulder against the door. With only the single clearstone for light, I felt her gaze more than I saw it, and it seemed to heat the air around me. Finally, she said, “That probably wasn’t the way you hoped to wake up.”

I peered out the window and indeed, the streets had gone silent. Seconds later, Harlyn was at my side, her hand on my shoulder. She whispered, “You’re a good fighter. Your mother would be proud of you.”

Instinctively, I stepped back. “Harlyn, last night—”

That was as far as I got before Harlyn leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “My mother would be proud of me too, Simon. Don’t ruin this moment with logic.”

“Simon! Harlyn!” Basil’s voice startled us apart. I flung open the door and was relieved to see both Basil and Trina on horseback. Basil was filthy, as if he’d rolled in sweat and dirt, but both of them were uninjured, better news than I had dared to hope for.

Basil trained his eyes on the city’s rear gates. The army that had emptied out through there was no longer visible, but he continued staring as if watching them flee. “It’s time to follow the battle into Reddengrad, my friends. I daresay it will be far more difficult there.”