Ximena led Tyra down a hidden stairwell near the lounge and through an unused bedroom on the floor below. It was an adult room but children’s toys and clothes were strewn about. A secret playroom Ximena hadn’t seen in four years.

Through the servant’s door and three doors down they descended more stairs. At the bottom of these, Ximena and Tyra came out into a dark corridor, one side carved into stone, the other a smooth painted wall.

“This is the wishing wall,” Ximena told Tyra. “You clean a space and paint what you are wishing for.”

They walked past a blotchy sun shining, a haloed woman, a rock runner, and an infant. Ximena stopped and traced a ballgown with a finger. She’d spent hours making it perfect only to be told she couldn’t wear gold. Unless she married into the right family. She sighed and moved on.

Just past a shimmering depiction of a young Lady Vida painted by Dzev in their youth, Tyra stopped in front of the workshop. “Here.”

“It is.” Ximena felt uneasy, but she showed Tyra the trick to open the old door with its false knob and hidden lock.

Tyra practiced three times, then they entered and examined the space. It had been recently tidied. The floor, worktable, and a few of the racks had been dusted. The lantern hanging above the table had fresh oil and a new wick. The exhaust vent was free of cobwebs, though most of the ceiling was not.

“Dzev works down here sometimes when he’s at the castle. Repairs furniture, toys, and models new ideas,” Ximena explained. There were sketches of the structural skeleton of a dome pinned up on the workboard.

Tyra nodded, moving to the back of the worktable and pulling back the rug. “I was hoping to be wrong,” she said, staring down at the trapdoor. She threw the rug back into place and coughed from the dust that kicked up.

“One way out is better than none.” Ximena led the way back upstairs. “If the bells ring, we run. I’ll tell the others. Until then, everything is fine.”

~     ~     ~

Marko tapped lightly on the lounge door and walked into the room filled with deep drum music.

Tyra was frozen in an elegant pose. She exhaled when she saw Marko. “Bright day.”

Marko closed the door and joined her in the middle of the room. “Bright day, Tyra.”

They both began to move to the music. Marko was stiff at first but soon remembered the fluid movements. He smiled. “The castle has its comforts.”

Tyra stepped around Marko and spun. “It does, although many are portable. We could dance anywhere to the clapping of our own hands. It is the company we must choose.”

Marko forced himself not to stiffen, to move with the rhythm. “And what do you think of our company?”

Tyra exaggerated contemplation. “Hmmm.” As the song ended she sat on the edge of the dais. “I am still working that out. You are my brother and I love you. Vida and I have an understanding. We could work together so long as I remember she is in charge.”

Marko sat on the floor and looked up at her. “Do you want to be in charge?”

Tyra shook her head. “Of myself, yes. Of others? I’d rather not. It’s quite distressing.”

“Ah. And what do you think of Renz and Chi?”

“I think I need more time, Marko. I don’t know yet. The castle is where we should be, and I will try to get to know them. Not just for your sake.”

“Thank you.” Marko turned over her words in his mind. Should be. “Did you really have a vision about the trail?”

“I did. It was like living a moment twice.” Tyra stood and began to dance, fluid motions propelling her around her brother.

Marko rose and moved toward the door. “Will you tell me if it happens again?”

“Likely not. You could interfere.” Tyra spun to face him. “Trust, brother. I am stronger now than I ever was.”

~     ~     ~

Tyra and Chi followed Krimo up the winding stairs of the north-north-east tower in the early afternoon. They paused at the second landing when Chi was out of breath.

"Krimo." Tyra suggested, "Can we let Chi set the pace?" Tyra wanted to test her, not injure her.

"Absolutely." Krimo nodded and took a step back from the stairs.

Chi smiled and led the way. Chi was slow but steady, not needing another rest before reaching the top floor. 

The door at the top of the tower was wreathed in dried flowers forming a faded pink and blue arch. Krimo stepped forward and raised a hand to knock but the door swung open.

A grizzled old woman with white eyes and fur waved them in. "Bright day. Good to have you. Very nice. Come in, darlings." She sniffed at each of her visitors as they passed into the wide room with scant furnishings and simple, faded decorations.

Tyra nodded out of habit. "Bright day, Yuzanae. I am Tyra Bardor and I bring Lady Chi."

"A pleasure. Welcome." Yuzanae reached out and brushed their sleeves, then turned away.

"Thank you," Chi replied, curiously looking around.

Krimo opened the dumbwaiter and pulled out boxes containing tea and ritual supplies and busied himself filling the kettle. He took a hooked stick and propped open a high window over the tiny stove before setting the fire and placing incense in the censors.

Yuzanae sat shakily in her padded chair, pulled woven blankets around her, and waved at the two other chairs at her table. "Krimo is diligent but he has forgotten something, no?"

As Tyra and Chi took their seats, Krimo rushed over and hugged Yuzanae. "I love you, grandmother."

"Now that's better." She hugged him back for an unsettling amount of time, then sent him back to fetch the tea.

Yuzanae reached her hands over the table. "Tyra, darling. Let me see you."

Tyra took Yuzanae's hands and brought them to her face. She sat as still as she could with her heart pounding as Yuzanae felt the sunken, stretched dimensions of her face. The contact was as gentle as it was intrusive.

Chi fidgeted in her seat but kept her hands in her lap and her eyes on them.

"My dear. You have overcome great hardship." Yuzanae told Tyra, who was glad the old woman could not see her rolling eyes.

Krimo lit the incense in the three censors, each adding a different scent to the air. A summer garden, the northern forest, and the spice of the truth-teller's incense.

Yuzanae breathed softly to herself for a moment, then reached her hands over the table again. "Chi, darling. Let me see you."

Eyes wide, Chi leaned forward and touched Yuzanae's hands with hers. Yuzanae inhaled suddenly but allowed Chi to bring her hands up to her round little face.

"Ah. Well, no one told me that humans were hairless and flat-faced. She must be quite a cute child." Yuzanae started to move her hands away and Chi pulled one up to her silky black ring of braids. Yuzanae petted her hair for a moment, then withdrew. "Perhaps not a child," she guessed.

"I was on the ship when it crashed. I'm a doctor," Chi explained.

"One of the healers who brewed the cures for the sickness?" Yuzanae asked. Tyra was relieved she hadn't called it the human sickness, as it had been called shortly after the landing.

"Yes," Chi replied. "I ran the lab that created the vaccines."

Yuzanae put her hand over her heart. "Our dearest thanks. My grandchildren will never know the pain my daughters suffered."

Krimo stepped up to the table and poured three cups of tea before returning to the stove to fill one for himself.

When they picked up their cups to drink, Chi only touched her lips to the cup before setting it down again. Tyra gave her a brooding stare. It was a rudeness that would not be tolerated. The spell would not work without all four ingredients.

Yuzanae lifted her chin and faced Chi as well, ears forward. The attention was not lost on Chi, who raised her cup and sipped twice.

The room wavered then as Tyra sat back and shivered. She felt a blanket fold across her lap and saw Krimo place one around Chi's slender shoulders. For Tyra, the room rocked gently like a boat on a calm sea. The wind whispered around her, becoming streamers of color. Spray splashed her exposed face and hands, kissed by the water.

Wherever Chi was, it was equally as pleasant. Though her occasional giggles made it seem far more fun.

Chi's open glee reminded Tyra of Joe's visit on the day of the Kannar wedding. Tyra was suddenly dancing around her old tower room.

Then she was dancing around her parents' dining room, holding up five-year-old Marko, her darling brother. She held him tightly and he hugged her back. She danced and danced. A moment she wanted to hold on to forever. Her mind tried to wander, but she stayed there, humming mother's favorite tune.

~     ~     ~

Chi waved goodbye to her mother with tears in her eyes. Then she was on the airplane and sat next to a handsome young anthropologist who held a pamphlet for the Nautalis Project. They were both headed for training in California to join an exploration team.

They hit turbulence over the Pacific and Lawrence made terrible napkin airplanes to relieve her fear. Chi had giggled and they had made it a competition until the flight attendant casually confiscated their napkins.

Then Chi was in a foreign field. Smoke and burning. She jogged along, shouting orders. Get away from the wreckage. Clear the area. We need a med tent. Bring me the injured.

And Lawrence was there again, cleaning wounds and giving comfort. She'd liked him then, but there had been no time to explore selfish feelings.

Chi became conscious of the chair she was sitting in and the blanket wrapped around her. She pulled it tighter as she came out of her revelry. There were tears on her cheeks but she was smiling. She sighed.

Tyra was seated beside her, humming softly. Chi closed her eyes, memorizing the sweet tune.

~     ~     ~

Vida called in three of the elders from the refugee families, having them trek to the castle during late harvest. They represented the families hardest hit by the relocation and therefore most likely to host members of the Forsaken Farmers, the group who had slipped poison into Soza Castle.

Calling them away during their busiest time of year rather than going to them would be quite rude. But going amongst murderous rebels was certainly not an option. Let them climb the old north road or snub her at their peril.

Vida knew it was a power play that could cause great gain and great strife, possibly at the same time. She had no intention of letting the current situation fester for a full winter before making moves to disband the renegades.

Yodder, Burazo, and Otsey arrived together, proud and alert. Skipping all polite formalities, the three elders were brought directly to the study where plans and maps were spread across the table.

Vida stood with Renz, Marko, and Suvira, showing the cooperation of four provinces. Sure, it was a lie that Frey wanted anything to do with the northern valleys now. But they would.

She watched her guests enter, eyes intent on expressions and body language.

Yodder, dressed in knitted layers with wooden buttons, led the way but did not acknowledge his host. He glared at the display on the table, the black of his green eyes expanding to circles. He was angry, distant, and aggressive.

Burazo, in well-tailored leathers covering most of his gorgeous brown spots, stepped to the side of Yodder. “Bright day, Lady Vida.” Burazo smiled and nodded first to her, then to Renz. “Bright day, star child.”

Renz blinked and then grinned. “Burazo!” Renz reached out a hand and Burazo held it for a moment. “Thank you for being here.” An intimate gesture.

Which upset Yodder, who spat. “Lady Vida, I believe you have an infestation.”

Otsey, in a lavender jacket sewn with more than a hundred tiny loops of colored ribbon, stepped up beside Yodder and touched his arm. They were well acquainted. “Yodder. We are guests.” She nodded to Vida. “Bright day. Thank you for the invitation. I am curious why we are here.” She did not spare anyone else a glance. Vida had the sense her taunt muscles were holding back curiosity rather than ire.

“We are gathering information to enrich the northern valleys. We have plans which will bring lasting work to your people but we need to know how many people want work and what resources they will need.” Vida directed Otsey’s attention to a drawing. “Perhaps you could also tell us what your healers and midwives would need in a hospital.”

Otsey and Burazo looked over the plans, asked questions, and gave feedback. Vida was pleased with their genuine interest. Yodder stepped back, only watching and listening. Occasionally he tsked or grumbled.

At the end of her patience, Vida turned to Renz. “Doctor. You and Marko take our guests to the dining hall and see they are well-fortified for their return journey. Yodder and I have more to discuss.”

Yodder widened his stance, and his eyes went black. “We do not.”

Renz moved around the table to Burazo’s side, Marko a step behind. “This way, please.” Renz led Burazo toward the door.

Otsey attempted to join them, but Yodder pushed her away and drew a nine-inch curved blade.

Marko grabbed Yodder’s arm, pushing the arch of the blade away from Renz and into Yodder’s leg. Burazo turned and lifted Yodder by the neck and shook until he dropped the blade. Burazo dumped the gasping elder onto a corner bench.

Suvira bent over him and held her long skirt to the wound with both hands, her growl barely audible.

Vida sent for Kinzo and lit incense. “My husband will stitch up that leg. Then we can talk,” she told Yodder. Turning to Renz, she added, “Are you still here?”

Renz turned and exited. Marko grabbed the blade and followed, trailed by Burazo and Otsey.

Kinzo jogged in and went to work on the leg wound while Vida prowled around the table, anxious.

Kinzo stepped back when he finished sewing up the wound and wrapping it to keep out infection. “He’ll be weak. He needs bed rest. Plenty of fluids.”

Suvira took Kinzo by the arm and escorted him to the door. “We have just the spot for him.”

When Kinzo exited, the doors snapped shut behind him and a heavy bar slammed into place from the outside.

Vida slowly approached the half-conscious elder, shifting curvy hips and swishing her tail. “The quarantine is over Yodder. You can live on Soza land, or you can return to the coast with your new human neighbors.”

Vida caressed his cheek. Yodder pulled back and glared. He tried to spit but his mouth was dry.

Vida grabbed his chin, nails threatening to dig in. “What you cannot do is disrespect me in my own home. Who runs the Forsaken Farmers?”

Yodders eyes went wide, recognizing the effect of the incense. “No one. We make decisions as a group.”

“Hmm.” Vida released his chin and took a step back. “Mobs do not rule, they only make a mess. How many of your forsaken are there?”

“At least a few hundred. No telling how many people will answer the call when I don’t go home in one piece.” Yodder tried to stretch out his leg to get a look at it and cried out.

“Oh, you’re in one piece. Just a bit of a mess. We’ll send word of your drunken brawl with Burazo and we’ll send you along tomorrow.” She squatted down and looked up at him with blue cat-like eyes with narrow slits. The semblance of innocence. “Unless you want to go home in pieces,” she whispered.

Yodder trembled, but that might have been the blood loss.

~     ~     ~

Renz and Marko sat Burazo and Otsey at a table in the nearly deserted dining hall and grabbed a selection from the buffet available at this odd time between breakfast and lunch. Dark bread, fruit, vegetable strips with dip, and a mix of toasted crackers. They returned to the table and spread out a selection.

Renz spread the vegetable dip on a slice of bread. “I heard there is something like an avocado that grows in a warmer climate.”

Burazo nodded. “South of here, on the western coast. You must trade with the croakin for avocado or coconut. They are possessive of their lands and there is little they need from outside their territory.” He grabbed a massive handful of crackers and ate them one at a time.

“Who are the croakin?” Renz asked.

“Green folk who live near the coast and wetlands. Archers and drummers. Friendly if you’re not a thief or a bird.”

Otsey shook her head. “They lay massive amounts of tiny eggs. It is quite a different process.”

When their guests were full and ready to go, Marko pulled Burazo aside. “How did you meet the doctor?”

Burazo grinned. “I pulled the little man out of the crashed ship. First human to wake up on Eydan. Quick in an emergency.”

Marko nodded. “Watch out for Yodder’s folk. They’ve attacked people for conspiring with humans. An attitude that must change if we are going to move forward.”

“I know the type, sir. But they ain’t bested me three to one yet.” Burazo stepped out the door and embraced his cousins waiting for him in the courtyard.

Otsey waved Marko over as she pulled a spool of thin ribbon from her saddlebag. “For your sister. She will make an excellent midwife.”

Marko took the gift and held it over his heart. "Safe journey, Otsey."

~     ~     ~

Renz and Marko climbed the stairs together and walked into the lounge. Marko switched on the gramophone and rummaged at the bar for a snack.

Renz sat on the dais. "The green folk Burazo mentioned, do you know if they have been inoculated? Have the vaccines worked for them?"

"The croakin live in pocket communities, but yes. All the croakin who trade with the eyan and the crosslanders have responded well to the vaccines." Marko brought a bowl of crackers and jerky bites to share and laid down on his side. "I am more concerned about the Foraken Farmers."

"Hopefully Burazo and Otsey can start to appease the more moderate members. We need to get resources and instructors out to the communities fast to back them up. Sounds like the Soza made more promises than deliveries in the last few years."

"That all may depend on Vida's handling of Yodder and what he has to say if he returns home."

If. Renz shivered and shook his head. "Not sure which is more frightening. Setting him loose or setting off his rebels." Renz leaned over and hugged Marko. "Thank you. I'm lucky you were here."

Marko shifted and hugged him back, a rumbling purr coming from deep in his chest. 

When it was clear Marko wasn't going to voice an answer, Renz leaned against him and let the tears come. He nuzzled into Marko's furry neck and hid in that safe space from poisoners, bandits, and butchers with knives.

~     ~     ~

Vida escorted Yodder to the courtyard with the gift of a knobby, striped walking stick. She held his arm tight until she passed him off to his kin. "Take care, elder Yodder. We'll have to do this again soon."

"Soon indeed," he replied, his tone was polite but the look he gave Vida was vicious.

Vida passed Yodder’s blade to his son. “Perhaps with a little more care.”

Yodder grunted and turned away, accepting aid to climb into the cart pulled by a sturdy ox.

As Yodder rode toward the western road in order to take the northern track back to the valleys, Vida headed inside to set up the dining hall for a family meeting. There were plans to be made and fortifications to test.

Yodder would be back soon, but Vida would be ready.

~     ~     ~

Krimo delivered Tyra and Chi to the lounge where Marko, Renz, and Joe were talking. Krimo said, "Dinner will be here soon. I will send Suvira to you when I see her."

Tyra has hoped to question Chi alone about her vision before much time had passed. "Why are we being shut in for dinner?"

Renz stepped forward to welcome them. "Family meeting. Seeing as we're not family, we'll have to make do with our own meeting."

Tyra smiled and nodded, but she noted that Renz's cheeks were more tear marked than Chi's. "Eventful day?"

"Absolutely." Renz nodded. "We'll get into it once Suvira comes in." He was in such an even temper, he probably didn't know he looked a mess.

It wasn't long before Suvira arrived, pushing a food cart. Tyra helped pass out trays and everyone spread out in a circle on the dais, lounging and eating. Roasted quail, stewed vegetables, and sticky sweet potatoes were a welcome treat.

"How was your trip to the tower today?" Marko asked.

Tyra paused to let Chi answer first. Chi said, "It was quite nice for a wonderland vision quest. I learned a new song." She hummed the tune she'd heard from Tyra.

Marko closed his eyes for a moment. He looked over at Tyra and softly smiled. "I remember."

Tyra reached out a hand and Marko held it firmly.

Chi turned to Renz. "How was your meeting with the elders?"

Renz ducked his head but answered immediately. "Burazo was there. He called me star child. He and Otsey were pleased to give us feedback and take back word about the coming project."

Suvira set down her spoon a bit too loudly and added. "Yodder wanted nothing to do with the project or any of us. Vida singled him out and he lashed out at Renz."

Chi gasped and then glared at her husband, finally noticing his tear-stained face. "Are you hurt?"

Renz shook his head. "Between Marko and Burazo, he couldn't lay a hand on me."

Suvira nodded. "He'll have a limp at the least when he wakes up in the morning. But Vida would lay money he'll bringing a small army back in a week."

Joe frowned. "We'll have to get a look at the construction site before then, so Dzev can get back to the forges. If he doesn't want to stay to defend the castle."

Chi fidgeted. "I want to be downstairs helping with preparations."

Renz patted her knee. "Vida will be talking about us and judging the crowd's response. Her people will be more honest if we are not listening. It is probably in our best interest to keep our noses out of it."

Tyra frowned. She didn't want to like Renz, but it was difficult to resist. He was clever and he cared.

She wanted to protect Marko. She remembered her father's words. He needs our love. Be there. She squeezed Marko's hand and let it go. She knew the role she would have to play and maybe it would be better if she stopped fighting it.

When the silence became too awkward to stand, Tyra unfolded herself and turned on the gramophone. She moved to the music, stress waning away.

~     ~     ~

Dzev and Joe took mules out toward the construction site, expecting a full-day outing. They were a few hours out from the castle when Dzev turned them around, heading southwest toward the lake down a steep trail.

Joe pulled up as close as he could. “Change of plans?”

Dzev nodded. “Movement on the rise. Someone or something is waiting up there.”

Joe looked back over his shoulder and then thought better of it. He needed to pay attention to the mule’s movements if he was going to stay up. This would be a nasty place to take a tumble.

Dzev led Joe through a switchback that gave them a clear view of the castle. Dzev pulled out binoculars and spied the southern trail. “Who are they, then?” he asked in a gravelly growl.

Joe pulled out his own binoculars. “At least twenty. Blades, farming tools.” Joe turned his binoculars toward the western road. “More west. That’s not a party we want any part of.”

Dzev nodded. “Agreed.” He stepped off his mule and moved to Joe’s side, offering a hand. “We need to hold up. I’ve got a place.”

Joe grabbed Dzev’s hand and jumped down. They grabbed as much gear as they could carry and sent the mules off.

“Will they be alright?” Joe asked, looking back at the animals.

“They’ll graze and find their way home when the fighting is all done. This way.” Dzev led the way through the brush, up a rough trail, then down into a cave entrance obscured by vines.

Once out of sight, Dzev pulled out a ram horn and leaned out of the cave to blow a long, clear alarm.

A distant deep bell rang out three times.

Joe leaned against the cave wall. “You warned the castle?”

Dzev walked to the back of the cave. “Yes. Though they were coming in fast.” Dzev rummaged in a box Joe didn’t see until he followed Dzev away from the daylight.

“What now?” Joe peered into a narrow tunnel.

Dzev lit a lantern and passed it to Joe. “Onward. Ahead until you need to turn. Right and then left.”

~     ~     ~

Three bell tolls signaled danger from outside. Ximena jumped up and pulled Renz with her. “Chi! We go now,” she called.

Chi snagged her med bag and grabbed Renz’s hand. They met Marko in the hallway.

Tyra burst out of a room a few doors down and waved them to follow her. Ximena ran to catch up with her while Marko brought up the rear, keeping Renz and Chi between them.

They rushed down the stairs and through the playroom. They rushed through the service door and were halfway to the second staircase when someone opened the stairwell door from the other side.

The maid dress gave them pause, but the woman was dirty, her fur matted in splotches of blood, and she carried a curved knife. She swung the blade and grazed Ximena's arm.

Ximena stepped back with a cry and bit her tongue.

Tyra dropped and spun, sweeping the attacker's leg.

Ximena grabbed the blade and tossed it aside, throwing her weight onto the sprawled woman. "What do we do with her?"

Chi stepped forward and opened her bag. "You're about average height and build. This should do the trick." She loaded a syringe, sat on the woman's hand, and injected a sedative into her arm.

The woman screamed like she was being murdered. For about four seconds.

Marko grabbed the blade and they descended the stairs. In the lower hallway, they could see a body on the floor. Chi tried to bolt in that direction, but Renz grabbed her arm. "Too much blood. Nothing we can do."

Tyra and Ximena led them the other way, along the wishing wall, to the workshop.

Past racks of tools and the fire-scarred worktable, Tyra threw back the rug and yanked open the trap door beneath. She pushed Chi and Renz toward the ladder and grabbed the lantern as soon as Ximena had it lit.

The steel rungs of the ladder were stinging cold as Tyra followed the couple below. Marko followed her down, blade clinking against the rungs, and sealed the trap door above. Ximena kicked the rug back in place and scurried away.

Tyra lithely moved around Chi and Renz, scraping her dress on the rough wall of the narrow tunnel. She held up the lamp and led the others to the two-way split in the tunnel.

“This way,” Tyra whispered, turned left.

Marko looked the other way and questioned, "You sure?" Tyra kept moving, forcing him to follow.

Tyra maneuvered through the winding tunnels like she had lived here all her life. She didn't hesitate at junctions and chided the others to keep up. Once Marko had suggested a more well-warn tunnel, but Chi jumped and yanked him back with all her weight. A portcullis slammed down where Marko had been standing.

"Tripwire," Chi explained, hugging Marko's arm for a second before rushing back to Renz.

Tyra only glanced back, piercing her brother with a glare. Then she was moving again through the chilly stone passages. She slowed, hearing noise up ahead. Voices.

"Give him here and we'll let you go," a woman shouted. Others taunted.

"You ain't got me to let me go. Drop your weapons," replied Dzev, his gravelly tone murderous.

A man's voice asked, "Did you hear that?"

Tyra turned and met Marko's eyes. She held out her hand. Having nothing else to offer, Marko handed her the maid's blade.

Tyra shoved the lantern into Renz's hands and crept up to the next bend. A face peaked around the corner, sniffing the air. Tyra grabbed the man and swung him into the light.

The tattered woven layers and sharpened hoe suggested he was Yodder's folk. His terror at Tyra's visage confirmed he was not from the castle. Tyra continued her spin and slammed his weapon arm into the stone wall. She dodged a punch and cut him three times. She dropped him on the floor and leaped around the corner.

Dzev was faced off against two women with Joe a few feet behind him. Dzev bellowed a roar and prowled side to side.

One of the women started to look behind, but Joe spotted Tyra. He banged on his map case like a drum and called, "What a couple of cowards!" He made it a mantra, repeating it three times.

The attackers began to creep forward, blades up. The distraction was enough for Tyra to grab the woman by the mane and swing her between Tyra and the other opponent.

The free woman looked away for a moment and Dzev charged, knocking her backward. He tried to pry the blade from her hand, then sunk his teeth into her arm. The knife clattered and he released his bite. Dzev twisted her arm behind her back, grinning with blood dripping from his chin.

Tyra's opponent tried to trip Tyra with her tail. Failing that, she dropped her weight, falling out of Tyra's grip.

Tyra threw a handful of hair aside, dodged a knife swing, and spun away, putting herself in front of Joe.

Marko eased into the light, bent and ready to run. "Drop the weapon."

The crouched woman threw the blade in his direction making him dodge, and she ran down the opposite corridor. Renz retrieved the blade and passed it to Marko.

Chi edged along the wall toward Dzev, who was tying up his prisoner. Chi knelt and opened her bag. "I have bandages for her arm."

"Good," Dzev said. "They're more talkative when they're alive."

The woman tried to spit in Chi's direction and Dzev smacked her on the back of the head. "None of that."

Chi passed the bandages to Dzev and then returned to Renz, who held her close. They were both shaken, but they were unharmed.

Tyra turned to ask a question, but the other assailant came running back up the corridor straight at her. Joe pulled Tyra's arm up and Tyra put force behind the motion. She shifted her weight to support Joe's aim.

The woman had no time to turn and ran headlong into Tyra's blade. She struggled for a moment and then fell backward.

Joe and Tyra stood there as if frozen, blade dripping. When Joe finally let go, Tyra looked down at him. "Well, that I did not foresee."

~     ~     ~

Vida prowled around the library she was using as a war room. Fortifications were holding, but there had been infiltrators inside. Traps had been set off in the courtyard, at the service entrance, and in several emergency tunnels. 

Yodder's army had broken down the gates to find spikes and pit traps, archers, and prowling rock runners.

Someone on the inside tried to throw open the main doors, unaware the spikes were not limited to the outside. Once the castle was under siege, there were few ways in or out and they were in the underground labyrinth.

But the horn that sounded the warning was Dzev's and he was stuck on the outside. Vida growled and paced. "Where are you?" she yelled into the empty room. She kicked at Yodder's bloodstain on the floor. Brute.

Vida had plenty of tricks left, but she didn't want to dump fire on a crowd where Dzev might be hiding. The mob would soon pull back for the night. She would have to be prepared for their rush tomorrow.

~     ~     ~