to still his rage. Sabon’s body taunted him from the cobbled drive. “I’ll hear him out.”
Olem put a hand on Tamas’s shoulder when Tamas tried to rise. “Let me, sir.” He moved a half dozen feet down the ditch, scooting on his stomach. “Hold your fire!” he shouted. He stood up.
“Where’s your master,” Charlemund called.
“What do you want?” Olem demanded.
There was a pause. “To talk. We must be able to reach some kind of agreement. Tamas, I’ll meet you under a flag of truce.”
“Why should he trust you?” Olem said.
“You question me, boy?” the arch-diocel roared.
Olem stared defiantly back at the villa.
“I swear on the holy vestments, no harm will come to him inside my villa.”
“Come out here and talk,” Olem said.
“And receive a bullet for my troubles? I know Tamas too well. I’m a man of the Rope.”
Tamas would hang him from that rope. He signaled to Olem. Olem dropped back down to his belly and moved over to Tamas.
“It’s suicide, sir,” he said. “I don’t trust him.”
“We don’t have enough men to take him,” Tamas said. “He can tear us apart with Nikslaus in there. We can’t get a clear shot at the sorcerer.”
“What can you do?”
“Send for more men. The rest of my cabal. If I can keep him talking until Andriya, Vidaslav, and Vlora get here…”
“It will take hours for reinforcements,” Olem said.
“Regardless…” Tamas watched the villa. Still no sign of Charlemund. The presence of the Wardens and a Kez Privileged was enough for him to know this was no mistake. Charlemund was the traitor. Would he try to talk his way out of this? Did he just want Tamas for a shield? He swore on the Rope. How much did that mean to a man like him?
“Give the order for reinforcements,” Tamas said.
Olem scurried off to a nearby group of soldiers. He returned in a few moments. “Done.”
“Tamas!” Charlemund called. “I won’t wait all day. Do we keep shooting or will you let me explain myself? Be reasonable!”
“Reason,” Tamas spat. “This bastard betrays me and talks of reason. What will he say? He was trying to cut some kind of deal with the Kez to save Adro?”
“He’ll say anything, sir,” Olem said. “Don’t trust any man who surrounds himself with beautiful women. Least of all a priest.”
“Wise words.”
“You’re going to go in, aren’t you,” Olem said.
“Yes.”
“I’m going with you.”
Tamas opened his mouth.
“Stuff it in your ass, sir. I’m going with you.” Olem stood up. He gestured to a nearby soldier. “Don’t let them leave this place,” he said. “Even if they have the field marshal. Shoot to kill.”
Kresimir’s palace was immense. Taniel had never seen its equal, not in Adopest or Kez or Fatrasta. He could look down the street and not see the end of it. Unlike the other buildings in Kresim Kurga, the rock had not been stained black by soot. It was volcanic, as if the mountain had spewed it out in one gigantic piece and let it cool, the sides polished enough he could see himself in them. Taniel couldn’t find a single crack, or see the marks of a workman’s tools.
“It’s a complex,” Del explained as they searched for an entrance. “Kresimir’s home on earth. He and the Predeii lived here for decades.”
“Yes,” Bo said, feeling along the sheer wall. “I remember reading about this place. But how do we get in? Sorcery?”
“There is an entrance,” Del said.
“Lions!”
The call came from the rear of their small group. Del began to shake again, pressing himself up against the wall. Taniel grabbed him, pushed him forward. “Let’s go! Run!” he said.
He could see the first one emerge from the street they’d left not long ago. It scrambled around the corner, padded back feet thumping, front claws scrabbling for purchase on the cobbles. It was three times the size of a dog, teeth sharp. There was blood on its jaws.
They fled, looking for an entrance to the building.
“They get bored chasing Julene?” Taniel said to Bo as they ran.
“Or she scared them off,” Bo gasped. He was sucking wind. Taniel grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him on. More lions followed the first. Six in total.
“Pole!” Taniel said. “If you have a trick ready for these things, pull it out!”
Ka-poel sprinted on ahead, putting some distance between her and the others before she came to a stop. She whipped a set of dolls out of her bag. These were not humanlike as they’d been before. These looked like beasts—cave lions. She grabbed a