The presence from yesterday was gone. Felitïa stood on the bottom step of the Grand Temple, but there was no hint of the voice that wasn’t a voice or the foreboding she’d felt. Did it only happen at night? Was it something to do with the weather? Or was whatever it was just not there anymore?

“Fear not,” Fra-Atl called.

A small crowd of people had gathered at the base of the step pyramid, looking for guidance regarding the fighting at the Palace. Fra-Atl was trying to calm them.

“It is true a rebellion has been launched, but you have nothing to fear from it. Return to your homes and pray to Ninussa that justice prevails.”

Some people listened, but others called out for more answers.

What if the presence had been blocked somehow? Like the grey walls in her head. Felitïa unfolded the Room and concentrated on those walls. She wasn’t sure what she expected to find. She didn’t really expect to find anything.

“Shall we go up?” Rudiger asked.

It hadn’t been difficult to find him. In fact, he found them when they reached the forest. He had taken a couple arrow hits, but his armour had prevented any serious wounds.

After finding each other, they spent a few minutes tending wounds and resting, but it soon became clear there was fighting at the entrance to the Palace. With a distraction like that, they wouldn’t get a better chance to move about. Felitïa could conserve energy that way.

They slipped round to the front of the Palace, where they saw that, somehow, an entire tree had fallen on and smashed part of the courtyard wall. Felitïa suspected Jorvan’s help in that.

There were people gathering outside the courtyard, but they had all their attention on the battle happening inside. Felitïa and the others continued past without difficulty.

Fra-Atl had initial concerns about going to the Temple. “There will be priests there, and maybe guards. It’s also the place they’ll take the Queen if they think she’s in danger from the attack. That means the entire Queen’s Guard will be there.”

“I felt something when I passed it last night,” Felitïa told her. “There’s something important there. Not just the secrets, and I get the impression it’s important I get a look at them.”

Fra-Atl nodded. “Very well.”

But upon reaching the Temple, there was no sign of the presence.

“Yes, let’s go up,” Felitïa said to Rudiger.

Nin-Akna took the lead, with Felitïa and Fra-Atl in the middle, and Rudiger at the rear. The people at the base called out again for answers.

“Answers will come soon!” Fra-Atl called back. “Be patient!”

“Talking answers,” Felitïa said, “what can you tell me of these secrets?”

“Of the ones pertaining to you?” Fra-Atl said. “Not a lot. They don’t say much.”

“I’d still like to look at them.”

“Oh, you shall,” Fra-Atl said. “Perhaps you will even understand their contexts better than we do. Assuming you are who you say you are, of course.”

“You don’t believe I am?”

“I didn’t say that, but I’ll remind you your exact identity hasn’t been confirmed.”

“A lot of other people seem convinced of who I am.”

“And do you regularly let other people tell you who you are?”

“No.”

“Then why do you let them in this case?”

Felitïa wasn’t sure she had an answer. “No matter what I do, I seem to end up in the role.”

“And is it a role you want?”

Felitïa shook her head. “No. Not all of it, at any rate.”

“Then refuse it.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“I didn’t say it would be, but that doesn’t mean you can’t say no.”

“I already intend to do that with the parts I don’t like,” Felitïa said. “I’m not going to let ancient prophets dictate my life.”

Fra-Atl nodded. “Nor should anyone.”

The steps were steep and long, and Felitïa was out of breath when they reached the top. Even Rudiger seemed winded, but Nin-Akna showed no signs of being affected by the climb. What surprised Felitïa was that neither did Fra-Atl, despite her greater age. A life of going up and down these stairs would make them less of a chore, Felitïa supposed. It also explained how Fra-Atl had handled the cliff with so little difficulty.

At the top, between the leering jaguar and serpent statues, was a small open space with a large slab of bloodstained stone in the centre. Behind that was the entrance to the temple itself.

A lone warrior approached from the door. “Fra-Atl! What are you doing here? I thought you’d been excommunicated and arrested.”

“Oh, a simple misunderstanding,” Fra-Atl said. “Her Holiness has forgiven and reinstated me.” She stepped up beside Nin-Akna. “As you can see, she has even sent one of her personal guard to escort me. I’m sure official word from the Palace will come soon.” She continued forward, but the guard held up a hand.

“Perhaps we should wait for that word to come first,” he said.

“I’m afraid it might be a bit delayed,” Fra-Atl said. “They’re busy at the Palace.”

“I heard a crash,” the guard replied, “but I couldn’t see anything. Has something happened?”

“A tree fell on the lower courtyard wall,” Fra-Atl replied. “Gave people a start, but nothing for you to worry about.”

“A tree fell?”

“Yes, fancy that. It was old, I’m told.”

“Who are these two with you?” The guard indicated Felitïa and Rudiger.

“Outsider guests of the Queen,” Fra-Atl said. “Her Holiness has asked that I show them the Temple, and she was very insistent that I be as quick as possible.”

The guard pointed his spear at Felitïa. “Didn’t an outsider woman murder the Queen’s cousin?”

“That was the one they call Will-Breaker,” Fra-Atl said. “A different person entirely.”

Felitïa stepped close to Nin-Akna and whispered, “Get close to him and catch him when he falls.”

The guard pointed his spear at Felitïa. “What are you saying?”

Nin-Akna walked forward. “She is an important dignitary from another land. She’s not happy at the delay. The Queen has ordered that she be shown the Temple.” Nin-Akna stopped just to the side of his spearhead and stepped to the side as he tried to block her. “Would you block me entrance?”

The distance was farther than Felitïa would have liked for the spell, but she could compensate. She half-closed her eyes and put the guard to sleep. Nin-Akna leapt forward and caught him as he fell.

“Sorry,” Felitïa told Fra-Atl. “But we don’t want an actual message from the Palace to arrive.”

“No apology necessary,” Fra-Atl said. “My way wasn’t working. Lay him down behind a statue.”

Nin-Akna carried the limp form behind the jaguar statue, while Fra-Atl continued to the door. “How long will he be out?” the priest asked Felitïa.

“Hard to say. At this point, he’s just sleeping normally.”

“Then we’d better be quick. I suggest hiding yourself and Rudiger with your magic once we’re inside. Let Nin-Akna and I deal with things at first.” Fra-Atl pushed on the heavy stone doors which started to open slowly. Rudiger joined her and assisted.

The interior was mostly a single room filled with statuary. Like those on the tiers outside, the statues depicted various animals. Indeed, none of these statues would have looked out of place with the others outside. Perhaps they were simply extras.

At the back left of the room was an archway to a small closet. To the back right a staircase descended into the pyramid.

Felitïa unfolded the Room again. There were additional presences there beyond just the four of them. They had to be down the stairs. She cast the invisibility spell, but left Nin-Akna and Fra-Atl out.

Fra-Atl began down the stairs followed by Nin-Akna.

“Fra-Atl?” someone said before Felitïa had a chance to start down herself.

“It’s all right,” Nin-Akna said. “The Queen has forgiven and reinstated her.”

Felitïa descended the stairs, which opened into a larger chamber dimly lit by torches on the walls.

“We hadn’t heard,” one of the room’s two occupants—an elderly woman in green robes—said.

“That’s why I’m here,” Nin-Akna said. “To escort her and tell you.”

The two priests in the room both sat at a cluttered table. The one in green had a pile of books in front of her, while the other in white had rolls of cloth and sewing materials. She held a partially made green priest’s robe in her hands.

Felitïa motioned for Rudiger to stay close to her and edged along the near wall of the room. Shelves there contained a wide array of knives and bottles filled with powders.

“That is a relief,” the priest of Frana said. “We heard you’d been arrested for murder. I could never believe you’d do that.”

“I was arrested,” Fra-Atl said. “The Queen was understandably distraught at her cousin’s death and lashed out at me because she was still angry from learning about the secret texts.”

“Yes, we’d heard something about that,” the priest of Ninussa said, closing her book.

“Talking of the secret texts,” Fra-Atl continued. “I am headed to them now. The Queen has ordered me to bring her some. I’d best be on my way. I don’t want to anger her again.” She picked up a torch from a shelf, dipped the end in a barrel of oil, then lit it using one of the lit ones on the wall.

“You may have your work cut out for you,” the Ninussa priest said. “Once she’s seen some of those secrets, she will want to know them all.”

Fra-Atl nodded. “I know, but I will deal with that as it happens. Blessings be with you both.”

“And with you,” the two replied.

Fra-Atl passed through an archway into a short corridor that led to another room. A staircase branched off the corridor, and the priest began to descend it, first handing the torch to Nin-Akna.

“How many rooms are in this place?” Rudiger asked as the rest of them followed.

“Depends on what you mean by room,” Fra-Atl said. “Most of the Temple is a mausoleum for queens and prominent priests of the past. Nin-Papan herself is buried here. Eleuia would have been if her body had been recovered. Instead, she gets a shrine dedicated to her memory. There are only a handful of rooms that are actually for the living. We will be descending to some of the lowest levels. We may pass other priests and guards, so be alert.”

“I’ll keep Rudiger and me hidden,” Felitïa said.

They travelled far enough down, from level to level, that Felitïa supposed they must have reached ground level or close to it. The thought of having to climb all the way back up when they were done just to climb down again outside was not a thrilling prospect.

There weren’t a lot of other people in the Temple, but they did pass a few. Fra-Atl talked their way past with the same explanation she had used above. Being unaware of Felitïa and Rudiger made people more willing to accept the story. Felitïa wished she had thought of it earlier on, or had just hidden all four of them all the way. When the guard at the entrance woke up—if he hadn’t already—the situation would change, and they could expect a lot of guards to come searching for them.

Fra-Atl finally showed them into a small chamber. Shelves along one wall held about a dozen books and several dozen scrolls. Along the other three sides of the room, some hanging on the walls, others sitting on the floor, sometimes piled on top of each other was an assortment of different items, from paintings to statues, baskets, masks, headdresses, robes, and more, even a few old weapons. A table with a few chairs sat in the middle of the room, leaving only a thin path around it.

Fra-Atl took a seat at the table, while Felitïa went straight to the shelves. She began looking at the spines of the books. “Are these the secrets?”

“Some of the secrets, yes,” Fra-Atl said.

“Only some?” Most of the books had no writing on the spines. The two that did were not written in a language Felitïa recognised.

“The secrets are more than the books,” Fra-Atl said. “The secrets include the items in this room, too. Apart from the table and chairs. They’re just here to help us be comfortable when we study.” The old woman chuckled.

Nin-Akna pointed to an axe hanging on the wall. “This rusty thing is a secret?”

“In a sense,” Fra-Atl said. “That was the axe of King Mitnal.”

“Who was that?” Nin-Akna asked. “And why should we care about some king?”

“Mitnal was one of our kings from the time before Eleuia and Nin-Papan. Before we were enslaved by Elooria. He and his axe are talked about in the writings. It’s not entirely clear why.”

“And Nin-Papan wrote all these things?” Felitïa said, pulling out a tome to reveal the title, The Foretellings of Eleuia. It was written in Ninifin.

Fra-Atl smirked. “That itself is one of the secrets. Nin-Papan wrote the book you hold in your hands and several of the other books there. But most of writings on those shelves are much older. Nin-Papan collected them from all around the world. Everything she collected related in some way to the future, even when they were artefacts of the past, like that axe there.”

Felitïa opened the book to the first page. The Foretellings of Eleuia, as Recorded by Her Devoted Disciple Nin-Papan in the Days Leading to Her Death at the Hands of the Dragon and the Hated Isyar.

Fra-Atl stood up, squeezed past Rudiger and went to a spot along one of the walls. She looked to either side, then turned to look about the room.

“Is there a problem?” Nin-Akna asked.

“The Staff of Sestin is missing,” she said.

“You sure?” Rudiger asked. “Maybe it’s just been moved. What’s it look like?”

“A wooden staff, the top end carved to look like a coiled feathered serpent. Its eye sockets are empty, though it’s believed they once held gems. It is normally leaning in the corner here.”

“Could someone have removed it?” Felitïa asked, closing the book and placing it back on the shelf. “To study it perhaps?”

“If my colleagues were studying it, they would do so here in this room. We almost never remove anything from here.”

“Maybe it fell over behind some of these other things,” Rudiger said, bending over to search through the items on the floor. “No, not seeing it here.”

“You say almost never,” Felitïa said. “Maybe this is one of those rare occasions.”

Fra-Atl sighed. “It is possible, I suppose. Oh well, we must move on. We only have a limited time before others come looking for us. The guard at the entrance won’t sleep forever. We can come back here at a later time when it’s safer.”

“There’s more to see?” Felitïa asked.

“A little. Perhaps the biggest secret of them all. Follow me.” She led them back into the short corridor and felt along the wall across from the base of the stairs. After a moment, she pushed one of the stones in. There was a brief grinding noise as a hidden door opened.

“A secret passage?” Nin-Akna said. She approached with the torch to reveal more stairs heading even lower into the temple.

Fra-Atl motioned everyone through. Then, on the other side, she found a similar switch in the wall and used that to close the door again.

“These stairs lead to the burial chamber of the ruler who had the Temple built,” Fra-Atl said as they descended. “Very few people know of its existence.”

“It wasn’t Nin-Papan?” Nin-Akna said.

Fra-Atl shook her head. “People today tend to forget that Nin-Papan lived only two hundred years ago. This temple is far older than that. We weren’t called Ninifins in those days, and many things have changed since then, but we still existed.”

The stairs exited into the largest chamber they had seen since entering the Temple. It looked larger across than the base of the Temple with a ceiling at least twenty feet high, suggesting that they had descended below ground level. The chamber was bare except for a single raised dais in the centre containing a jewel-encrusted coffin.

“Is that her?” Nin-Akna asked.

“The ruler who built this place?” Fra-Atl said. “Yes. Unfortunately, we don’t know their name, or whether they were a woman or man or neither. But that is not what I want to show you.”

She led them across the chamber to the far wall, where she once again felt along it for a hidden switch. “What I am about to show you is known only to three people at any given time. Only when one of us dies is another initiated into it. By showing you this, I am breaking a vow I took and have faithfully followed for twenty years. But what I do, I do because Eleuia foretold it and Nin-Papan herself ordered it. Through here is another chamber that leads to a tunnel. The tunnel descends deeper and passes under the Jaguar itself, all the way to confluence of the Jaguar and Toucan.”

The confluence.

Like the Volg writings had talked of.

Fra-Atl pressed the switch in. The door began to grind open. “It is a bit of a journey, but once there, you will behold the most wondrous site you have ever—”

“Look out!” Rudiger cried.

Standing in the open doorway was a Volg. Fra-Atl turned just as the Volg’s sword lashed out, severing the priest’s head from her body in a single swipe.

Nin-Akna gasped as blood sprayed across her. She dropped the torch and lunged with her spear, but the Volg cut the weapon’s shaft with another quick swipe. The young Ninifin took several steps back, avoiding the Volg’s next attack. The Volg stepped forward to follow her.

Rudiger rushed in, sword held high. The Volg tried to parry, but Slay cut straight through the blade of the Volg’s sword. Rudiger took another swing and cut deep into the Volg’s chest. “Back to the stairs!” he cried.

Another Volg came through the doorway, and there were several more in the chamber beyond. One was familiar, though Felitïa hadn’t seen him since the day Corvinian had been taken. The one that had been with Castroff. Nibdenoff, if she remembered the name from Quilla’s experiences correctly.

Rudiger and Nin-Akna were already running across the chamber. Felitïa cast a quick spell to befuddle the minds of the two lead Volgs. Then she ran after the others.

They made it as far as the ancient ruler’s burial casket before two Volgs landed in front of them.

Nin-Akna drew one of her knives and threw. It scraped one Volg’s muzzle, but did little to stop their advance.

Rudiger leapt in, swinging with Slay at the same Volg. The Volg dodged and the second Volg swung at him, hitting him in the side. He stumbled, but his armour looked to have protected him.

Nin-Akna, another knife drawn, dived low, rolling past one of the Volgs’ legs. She lashed across his thigh as she went. “Don’t let them surround us!”

Felitïa turned to see more Volgs coming up behind. She put the closest one to sleep, then clouded the minds of the next two. But there were far too many still coming.

“Felitïa! Come on!” Rudiger called.

She spun around again to see that Rudiger and Nin-Akna had dispatched the two blocking their way. They were already running for the stairs.

Felitïa ran after them, but another Volg landed between her and the others. She clenched her fist. The Volg dropped his sword, clutched at his horns, and screamed. Felitïa kept running, releasing the spell when she was well past the Volg.

Rudiger stood at the bottom of the stairs. He ushered Felitïa up as she arrived. Nin-Akna was already partway up them.

A groan came from behind her and Felitïa looked back. Rudiger had driven Slay through the gut of an approaching Volg. He pulled the sword back out. “Keep going!”

Felitïa caught up to Nin-Akna at the top of the stairs. The Youth Guard was searching along the wall for the switch Fra-Atl had used.

“We’ll have the advantage in the temple,” Nin-Akna said. “They’re too big to fight in such close quarters and they won’t be able to fly. Where was that fucking switch?”

Felitïa helped her search, but Nin-Akna found it a moment later, just as Rudiger joined them at the top of the stairs. The Ninifin pushed it and the door ground open.

On the other side, a Ninifin warrior—one of the Queen’s Guards—stood at the bottom of the next flight of stairs. She thrust the butt of her spear into Nin-Akna’s stomach. As Nin-Akna doubled over, another warrior to the side of the door hit her in the back of the neck. She fell to the floor.

The second warrior came forward and grabbed Felitïa’s arms, yanking her into the corridor. Several more Queen’s Guards stood there, and in the archway of the secrets room, stood Fra-Ichtaca.

The guard shoved Felitïa forward. She stumbled and as she straightened up, she found two daggers held close to her neck.

“Drop the sword, horse tender,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “Or the Will-Breaker and Youth Guard die.”

Felitïa looked back as Rudiger let Slay drop to the floor.

“Where is Fra-Atl?” Fra-Ichtaca asked.

“Dead,” Felitïa replied.

“Then we are too late. Close the door.”

The warrior by the stairs found the switch as if she already knew where it was and pressed it. The door ground closed.

“There are Volgs down there,” Felitïa said. “They’re coming up here.”

Fra-Ichtaca laughed. “Volgs. Stories for children.”

“They’re real,” Rudiger said.

“Even if they were, why would they be in the depths of the Temple, in areas few know about?”

“You knew about them,” Felitïa said.

Fra-Ichtaca’s eyes narrowed and she scowled. Felitïa could sense both amusement and hatred from her, but also annoyance. There was no disbelief, though.

“Take them up,” Fra-Ichtaca ordered.

One of the warriors picked up Rudiger’s sword, and another picked up Nin-Akna. The two holding daggers to Felitïa’s throat lowered them, and one nudged her with an elbow. “Move.”

Felitïa started up the stairs, following Rudiger and another of the warriors ahead of him. “Not going to kill us, Fra-Ichtaca? It’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Another flash of annoyance emanated from the priest. “I have no doubt you will be executed in the end, but we will follow proper procedure.”

“Those Volgs will kill everyone when they get up here,” Rudiger said.

Again, Fra-Ichtaca laughed and several of the warriors laughed with her.

“I don’t think they’re coming, Rudiger,” Felitïa said. “They’d have been here by now. They’re staying out of sight for now. Waiting for the right moment, are they, Fra-Ichtaca?”

The warrior behind her slammed a fist into Felitïa’s back. “The proper form of address is Reverence!”

“Gag her,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “I tire of her prattling. Tie her hands and fingers as well.”

When they reached the top of the stairs, the warrior behind her grabbed Felitïa’s arms and twisted them behind her back, aggravating the wound in her shoulder. Felitïa gritted her teeth against the pain and resisted crying out. Rope was wrapped around her wrists, and then her fingers.

“No,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “On second thought, break her fingers.”

Fear swam through Felitïa. This time her own fear.

“No!” Rudiger yelled.

The Queen’s Guard took first the pinky on her left hand and bent it back with a swift smack. Then the next finger. And the next.

Felitïa screamed.

The warrior skipped her thumbs, but otherwise went one-by-one through all her fingers. When it was done, Felitïa fell to the floor, sobbing, tears pouring down her face, pain arcing through her hands.

The warriors grabbed her under her arms, aggravating her shoulder even more. But she didn’t care. They carried her up the next flight of stairs. Then the pain became too much.

She blacked out.

* * * * *

Felitïa.

A jolt of pain.

Felitïa.

Another jolt. Eight all together one after another. Not as bad this time.

At least, she didn’t think it was as bad. But everything was pain now.

Felitïa.

There was a cacophony of emotions around her, but most of them were hers. Some concern and worry for her, though. Those were from others. One or two others. One? No, two. Two others.

Wait, three? Four?

The third and fourth were faint presences. Lon and Nesh. They were confused, and a bit panicked. They were still in the tattered remains of her cloak. No. One had gotten under her clothes. She could feel his feet on her back, crawling round to her stomach. The other was crawling along her leg. They did that sometimes.

Odd how their presences could help her forget everything else for a moment.

She opened her eyes.

It took a moment for her vision to clear, but she soon saw she was on the top of the Grand Temple pyramid, just outside the entrance doors. She was propped up against the jaguar statue. Nin-Akna sat beside her, holding her right hand and tying a splint into place on her index finger. The other fingers on her hand were already splinted, and all tied against each other. Her left hand was similarly splinted.

“I’m surprised they let you do that.”

Nin-Akna smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re awake.”

“Me too,” Rudiger said. He was sitting on the other side of Nin-Akna. “They’re probably going to kill us soon, though.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t killed us already,” Nin-Akna said. She finished splinting the finger and let go of Felitïa’s hand.

“Same reason I was blamed for the death of the Queen’s cousin and the jailer,” Felitïa said. “They want scapegoats. They intend to kill more people, and they need us alive to pin the blame on.”

She wanted to bend her fingers. It was a silly thought, but she really wanted it. The splints held them firm though. Even if the splints weren’t there, she doubted she would have been able to move them. Looking at them now, they were puffy and swollen.

She looked from her hands to Nin-Akna. “What’s my prognosis?”

“I’m not an expert,” Nin-Akna said, “but the breaks don’t seem bad. I’ve had a couple broken fingers before. Never more than one at once, but they don’t seem any worse than mine were. They took a little over a month to heal. You might want to get them checked by somebody who knows more than me though. If we survive, that is. Why do this to you?”

“Fra-Ichtaca knows I use my fingers as a significant part of my spellcasting,” Felitïa said. But how did she know? “I really need to develop some alternative methods.”

“Thoughts for another time, I suppose.” Nin-Akna offered another smile.

Felitïa looked around her. Fra-Ichtaca and six Queen’s Guards stood by the top of the stairs. The priest and three of the Queen’s Guards were looking out over the edge. The other three were facing towards Felitïa, Rudiger, and Nin-Akna. Two more Queen’s Guards stood at the entrance to the Temple.

“How many Queen’s Guards are there in total?” Felitïa asked Nin-Akna.

“About two dozen at the moment, I think. Active members, that is. Probably a dozen or so older inactive members. The number can vary a bit, though. It can be a dangerous profession. Why?”

“I’m just trying to keep track of everyone. If we’re going to get out of here, we need to pay attention to who still stands between us.”

“Got any ideas?” Rudiger asked.

Felitïa shook her head. “Not really. But if I don’t focus on getting out of here, I think I’ll just curl up into a ball and cry. I’m fighting the urge to do that right now.”

“Yeah, know what you mean,” Rudiger said.

Three more Queen’s Guards appeared coming up the pyramid stairs, Ses-Zeltzin one of them and carrying the lead of the jaguar beside her. Behind them was Queen Nin-Xoco, and behind her, three more Queen’s Guards.

“We have the so-called Will-Breaker and her associates, Holiness,” Fra-Ichtaca said.

“Here?” the Queen said.

“Do not worry, Holiness. They cannot harm you. Unfortunately, they killed Fra-Atl.”

The Queen lowered her head. “No.”

“It seems we were wrong. Fra-Atl was not helping them. She was their prisoner.”

“I always knew she could not be guilty of such crimes.”

“I apologise, Holiness,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “This was my error of judgement. I will, of course, accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate.”

The Queen shook her head. “No. You did your best. It is that outsider’s fault. Show me her.”

“Are you sure, Holiness?”

“Show me!”

“Over here, Holiness.”

Fra-Ichtaca led the Queen and her guards to Felitïa and the others. The Queen’s Guards remained in a circle around her, but she pushed past them to the front. Ses-Zeltzin held up a hand to caution her, but she shook her head.

“No, I must see them up close.”

Ses-Zeltzin nodded and stood beside the Queen. The jaguar growled.

The Queen’s eyes looked down at Felitïa, then Nin-Akna. They came to a stop at Rudiger. Her mouth quivered. “No.”

“I am sorry, Holiness,” Fra-Ichtaca said, “but it’s true. He is in league with the woman. They are lovers apparently.”

Tears trickled down the Queen’s face. “You betrayed me?”

Rudiger shook his head. “I never betrayed you, Xoco. We haven’t done the things they say. Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Zeltzin are Darkers. I tried to warn you about them. They—”

The Queen spat at him. “I gave you the right to address me in that way. I called you my brother, and you make a mockery of it! Zeltzin!”

“Yes, Holiness?”

“I don’t want my horse anymore. Kill it.”

Ses-Zeltzin smiled. “It will be done as soon as the crisis is over, Holiness.”

“No!” Rudiger cried. “Xoco, you must believe me.”

“Make him shut up,” the Queen said.

Ses-Zeltzin stepped forward and kicked Rudiger in the stomach. “Not so big now, are you?”

Rudiger groaned, but kept his mouth shut.

“And one of my Youth Guard,” the Queen said. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Holiness, I still serve you devotedly,” Nin-Akna replied.

“The other two were seen assisting the attack on the Palace,” Ses-Zeltzin said.

“That is what you call devoted?”

“If I might intercede, Holiness,” Fra-Ichtaca said. The Queen nodded and the priest continued, “We have reason to believe the Youth Guard may be under some form of magical control. As Ses-Xipil said of Ses-Tlacotl, the woman outsider has strong magical powers. I believe it is called mentalism, but I’m not the expert. You will have to ask Ses-Xipil for specifics. However, we believe she has been mind controlling the Youth Guard. Free of her influence, they will be devoted to you again.”

The Queen’s eyes widened and she turned to face Fra-Ichtaca. “Could she be mind controlling Rudiger, too?”

“It is possible, Holiness, but we have evidence suggesting they have been in association for many years. If she is controlling him, it has been for so long now there is no freeing him from it. The Youth Guard are more recent and might still be recovered.”

The Queen’s face fell and she turned back to face Felitïa. “I want her to die.”

Fra-Ichtaca nodded. “It will happen, Holiness. However, it should be a public execution. The people need to see that the instigator of the troubles has been caught and dealt with. Otherwise, her followers can continue to claim she lives and use her name as a way to generate fear.”

“I don’t care about that. I want her dead now. Kill her, Zeltzin.”

Ses-Zeltzin handed the jaguar’s lead to one of the other Queen’s Guards, then clutched her spear in both hands. “If you command me, Holiness, I will obey, but I believe you should listen to her Reverence on this.”

“I have already listened, and I have decided.”

“So be it, Holiness,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “Kill her, Ses-Zeltzin.”

Ses-Zeltzin raised her spear and rammed it through the Queen’s stomach. The jaguar growled.

“No!” Nin-Akna and Rudiger screamed.

Ses-Zeltzin withdrew the spear and Nin-Xoco dropped to the ground, coughing up blood. Rudiger scrambled over to her, tried to place pressure over the bleeding wound in her chest. “Oh gods no, please no.” But the Queen was already still and unmoving.

Ses-Zeltzin dropped the spear at Nin-Akna’s feet.

“I am appalled, Ses-Zeltzin,” Fra-Ichtaca said, a smile on her face. “How could you let that man get hold of a spear so close to the Queen?”

“You had a vow!” Nin-Akna yelled. “You were sworn to protect her! All of you! How could you just stand there?”

“She’s a Darker, Nin-Akna,” Rudiger said. He laid Nin-Xoco’s head in his lap, stroked her hair with his blood-soaked hands. “I told you that. The others probably are, too.”

“The vow is not to the Queen,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “It is to the throne. If the person on the throne is a threat to Ninifin, then that person must be removed.”

“How was she a threat?” Nin-Akna jumped to her feet, but two of the Queen’s Guards pushed her back down again.

There was a lot of anger emanating around.

“She was an ineffective leader,” Fra-Ichtaca said. “She would have ruined Ninifin.”

That there was anger didn’t surprise Felitïa. The source of some of it did, however. There was also confusion and uncertainty. Although they were staying out of it, not all the Queen’s Guards were comfortable with what had happened.

“It was too soon,” Ses-Zeltzin hissed.

Fra-Ichtaca shrugged. “She gave us no other choice. She was ever so flighty.”

“She just led you to think that, you stupid—” Rudiger began, but the Queen’s Guard now holding the jaguar’s lead kicked him in the face.

Ses-Zeltzin pointed at Felitïa. “We could have just killed her.”

“And then what would we do?” Fra-Ichtaca said. “We cannot present the people with the head of a mass murderer if she dies before the people she’s supposed to have killed.” Anger was rising in Fra-Ichtaca now, too.

“We could find someone else. Any of her associates or followers would do.”

“No, it must be her.”

“Why?”

“Do not question me!” Fra-Ichtaca snapped.

Ses-Zeltzin snapped to attention.

Was there a way to set these two against each other?

“What about the attack on the Palace, Reverence?” Ses-Zeltzin asked.

“The rebels have scored only a minor victory. Ses-Xipil should be in position soon. She will take care of them.”

Felitïa.

It was that presence again. She’d felt it a short while ago, too. Just before she woke up, but she’d forgotten, distracted by everything else.

Felitïa.

It seemed distant, hard to make out. She needed to find out what it was.

Felitïa.

But she couldn’t do that here. She had to get the three of them away before Fra-Ichtaca gave in and killed them.

Felitïa.

Two of the Queen’s Guards picked up Nin-Xoco’s body and moved her to the blood-stained stone. There was a gruesome irony to that. Felitïa was fairly certain that was the stone where sacrifices took place. The guards placed the spear that had killed her beside her.

Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Zeltzin moved farther away, but were still...discussing, Felitïa supposed the correct word was. She strained to listen.

“They were well armed,” Ses-Zeltzin said.

“They clearly have resources,” Fra-Ichtaca said.

“Yes, and where are they getting them?”

“They must have had help. It was probably Fra-Atl.”

“She didn’t have the money for something like this,” Ses-Zeltzin said.

Felitïa leaned closer to Nin-Akna. “Can I ask a favour?” she whispered.

Nin-Akna nodded.

“This might get a bit embarrassing. One of my rats is sitting on my stomach right now. See the little bulge? I can’t use my hands. Can you get him? He won’t want you to pick him up, so he’ll try to get away.”

“I’ll try.”

“Just try not to let the guards see.”

Nin-Akna sidled closer to Felitïa so that their sides were touching. She lifted Felitïa’s tunic and blouse and slid one hand along her belly. The rat scurried off.

“Up by my right shoulder now. The other’s on my thigh. I just need one.” She hoped he didn’t aggravate her wound.

Nin-Akna changed positions and reached across Felitïa’s chest.

“What are you doing?” one of the guards asked.

Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Zeltzin stopped their conversation, turned, and looked back.

“Her shoulder was injured earlier,” Nin-Akna replied. “I’m checking the bandages.”

“All right, but be quick about it,” the guard said.

Fra-Ichtaca and Ses-Zeltzin returned to their conversation.

Nin-Akna shifted positions again and this time came at the rat with both hands, one from each direction. The movement of the rat and Nin-Akna’s hands was rather ticklish, and Felitïa held back a giggle. It was nice to feel something other than pain, though.

Nin-Akna sat back, having successfully retrieved Lon, who squeaked in annoyance.

“What was that?” the guard said.

“Just a rat,” Felitïa said.

“I’ve never seen a rat up here before,” the guard said.

“Rats get everywhere,” Nin-Akna said.

The guard shrugged.

“What now?” Nin-Akna whispered.

“Just hold on to him for a moment,” Felitïa said.

Fra-Ichtaca came back over to them. Ses-Zeltzin followed at a short distance. “The revolutionaries attacking the Palace,” the priest said, “where did they get their supplies?”

“How should we know?” Felitïa said.

“I think you do. However, you don’t need to tell me. I have a strong idea already. You.” She indicated Rudiger. “Isn’t it an interesting coincidence that Fra-Tepeu should happen to send you to the Palace? That your lover is one of the lead revolutionaries? And that she happened to stop at Fra-Mecatl’s on the way to the Palace to pick you up?”

“Quite the coincidence, yeah,” Rudiger said.

“Ses-Zeltzin,” Fra-Ichtaca said, “please take a contingent of your most trusted warriors to Fra-Mecatl’s ranch. Kill everyone there.”

“No,” Rudiger growled.

Ses-Zeltzin bowed. “As you wish, Reverence. What of Fra-Tepeu’s horses? I hear he used to be some sort of prize winner because of them. Shall I claim them for you?”

“I have no interest in horses. Slaughter them. We’ll serve them in the feast when this rebellion is quelled.”

Rudiger lunged forward, but two Queen’s Guards were on him in a moment, pushing him back until he was against the statue again.

“Keep him under control!” Fra-Ichtaca snapped.

The guards tied Rudiger’s hands behind his back, then tied his legs together.

Ses-Zeltzin motioned to several of the guards and they started down the steps.

Four left. Plus Fra-Ichtaca and the jaguar. Those were slightly better odds.

Fra-Ichtaca walked over to the Temple entrance. “Watch them carefully.” She pointed to Felitïa. “Especially her.” One of the guards opened the door for her and she went inside.

Even better odds.

She needed to wait a bit longer though, give Ses-Zeltzin more than enough time to reach the bottom and be gone before she tried anything.

“I’m going to create a distraction in a few minutes,” Felitïa whispered to Nin-Akna. “When it happens, can you get to the spear by the Queen’s body?”

“Of course,” Nin-Akna said.

“I really wish Rudiger hadn’t been bound. Get the spear, then free Rudiger. Do you know what they did with his sword?”

She shook her head. “I was unconscious at the time. Though he might. I’ll ask.” She leaned over to Rudiger, then returned to Felitïa a few moments later. “He says he thinks it’s inside, in the room with the sacrificial knives, where those two priests were when we first went in.”

“Okay, we’ll need to get there then,” Felitïa said.

She let several minutes pass. Then she let several more pass just to be sure.

“Place Lon on my lap and hold him there,” Felitïa whispered to Nin-Akna.

When Lon was in position, she held her hand over him and stroked him with her thumb. Elderaan had used rats with the very first magic he had ever taught her. She had practised her earliest spells on the rats in the shop, many of them previous Lons. Simple calming spells at first, that she often overdid and ended up putting them to sleep. Minor spells to influence their actions, convince them to go one way instead of another, once even to roll over. She hadn’t done anything like this in a long time.

This could get Lon killed. She knew that. She hoped it didn’t happen, but if she didn’t try something, they would all die anyway.

She stroked the rat a few more times, whispered some loving words to him, and then muttered the incantation of the spell. Then she jabbed her thumb into the back of his neck. Lon squealed and took off. She jerked her head and Lon changed directions.

“What the hell?” the nearest guard said.

“It’s that rat again.” Felitïa jerked her head again and sent Lon running around the guard’s feet. “There he is!”

The guard stepped back, lifted her foot and brought it down. A jerk of Felitïa’s head sent Lon out of the way just before the foot squashed him. She turned Lon back to run round the guard’s feet again.

The other three turned to see what was happening. A couple of them laughed as the first tried to stomp her foot on Lon. The jaguar looked up from where it had lain down, growled in annoyance, then put its head back down again.

Nin-Akna leapt to her feet and dashed for the sacrificial stone.

Felitïa half-closed her eyes, tilted her head and put the jaguar to sleep. Then she did the same to the guard trying to squash Lon. The guard slumped against the statue and slid to the ground while Lon darted out of the way.

Felitïa smiled. She wasn’t entirely reliant on her hands.

Nin-Akna dived for the spear and grabbed it. She rolled out of the way as one of the other guards thrust her spear at her.

There was a thud to Felitïa’s left as one of the other guards fell to the ground. Rudiger had somehow rolled around to trip her. Felitïa put her to sleep before she could get back up.

The fourth guard yanked on the jaguar’s lead. “Come on, you stupid cat.” When the jaguar didn’t respond, she jabbed her spear down at Rudiger. He tried to roll, but the spear caught the side of his armour. It tore through the links of his chain but didn’t appear to hit any flesh. Felitïa put that guard to sleep as well.

Nin-Akna and the remaining guard were circling around the sacrificial stone and the Queen’s body, each just out of reach of the other. The distance was a bit too much to get a good flow of energy on the sleep spell.

The guard jabbed forward, but Nin-Akna stepped back. Then Nin-Akna came in high, and the guard blocked.

Felitïa looked about, found Lon, and jerked her head towards the guard. Lon dashed under the guards feet.

“Damn rat!” the guard yelled, glancing down. Nin-Akna thrust her spear through the guard’s neck. The guard fell on top of Lon.

Nin-Akna circled round the stone and ran her spear through the first of the sleeping guards, and then the second.

Felitïa grimaced.

“They betrayed their vow,” Nin-Akna said. “Plus, like you said, we need to be sure where our enemies are at any time. This gets rid of a few.” She ran her spear through the last sleeping guard. Then she bent down to untie Rudiger.

There was a squeal from near the stone. Felitïa looked over to see Lon squeezing out from under the guard’s body. He was covered in blood—the guard’s—but seemed otherwise fine. With a jerk of her head, she brought him back to her and guided him under her clothes again. Then she released the spell. Nesh scurried over to him, and the two rats circled on her stomach, both squealing at her in protest.

“Help me up,” Felitïa said to the others. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”